


Ligature Marks

by AdventuresofGypsyandRenovski



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Ben Solo is Not Nice, Bondage, Death, Drugged Sex, Dubious Consent, Extremely Dubious Consent, F/M, Funerals, Kidnapping, Murder, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Rey is 17 but thats the age of consent in my state...so take caution, Spanking, hes not mr rogers, rape/non con, read the tags before reading please, serial killer au that no one really needs but I wrote it anyway, seriously
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-03
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-06-20 22:53:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 20
Words: 47,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15543954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdventuresofGypsyandRenovski/pseuds/AdventuresofGypsyandRenovski
Summary: Rey lives in a small town where everything is perfect. She has a wonderful family and her neighbor, Ben Solo, is one of her closest friends. So when a serial killer begins murdering young women within the town, Rey starts to suspect that her neighbor may not be so sweet after all.





	1. Riverside

**Author's Note:**

> Back on it! I want to say thanks to Malevolent Reverie for brainstorming and checking things over to make sure I'm making logical sense! 
> 
> As a warning, this story contains serial killer elements and will mention murder and rape. PLEASE do not read if this is not your cup of tea, or if this causes you emotional distress. 
> 
> And for those of you looking for a Daddy Issues update, Karrow and I will have one to you soon :)

                                                       

 

Everything was better on a Saturday. There was no school or soccer practice, just a little cleaning and spending the afternoon with friends. Except that this Saturday would be spent catching up on piles of homework. Rey groaned at the thought and stretched, welcoming the sunlight as the smell of bacon wafted through the house.

 

She made her way to the kitchen to see her dad making breakfast and her mom on the phone with her friend Leia Organa. Leia’s son lived right next door and he was the best neighbor anyone could ask for. Rey considered him to be the older brother she never had.

 

“Good morning, honey! Want some toast?” her dad raved as she took a seat at the table. Rey nodded with a smile. She had a very close relationship with her parents as an only child. Rey was not looking forward to moving off to college next year. Until then, she enjoyed every moment she could with them.

 

Her dad set the food on the table while her mom hung up the phone to join them.

 

“So Leia is having a dinner party tonight and we are invited! Doesn’t that sound fun?” her mother revealed as she scooped up some eggs. Leia always puts on the best dinner parties. The extravagant home she lived in didn’t hurt either. 

 

“Cool, I’m going to wear that new dress I got at Nordstrom last week!” Rey announced.

 

The rest of the meal was spent in moments of silence and making plans. Rey planned to tackle her homework all day and then get ready for the dinner party. After finishing and cleaning her plate, she kissed both of her parents on the cheek and bustled upstairs to get started on her history essay.

 

The rest of the day flew by with a little homework and a lot of procrastination. Rey found a show on Netflix that Ben had recommended and spent most of the day holed up in her room with her headphones and, “Stranger Things”. Rey knew she should be working on her chemistry homework, but the adventures of Will Byers and his friends were much more interesting. At one point, she glanced at the clock to see that it was already four in the afternoon. 

 

After a quick shower, Rey tugged her hair into three neat buns and threw on a burgundy dress with lace that flowed to her knees. She met her parents downstairs and they walked out the door and piled into her dad’s Lexus, speeding off towards Chilton Lane to Leia’s house.

 

Though it was only the beginning of October, the brisk air brought the Halloween decorations out with it. Rey’s mom loved to decorate and was practically counting down to October 1st so she could throw up her annual decor. It was the cheesy decor too, like large spiders and fake webs all over the front porch.

 

They reached the house and Rey’s eyes flickered to the tall columns and lanterns spread across the front of the house. In the small town of Lake Lure, it had to be the largest home in the area.

 

Stepping out of the car, she followed her parents to the door as Leia greeted them. Rey was pulled into a tight hug as she told Leia how soccer was going and about all of the classes she was taking this semester. 

 

She finally pulled away and jostled past her parents to one of the vast rooms that held the other guests. Rey spotted her friends Finn and Rose and waved them over.

 

“Hey! Did you finish that chemistry problem set yet? My brain is fried from balancing equations all afternoon.” Rose exclaimed, placing a hand to her temple for emphasis. Rey gave her a sly look and shook her head.

 

“Not yet. I finished my history essay and then got caught up watching Netflix. I guess I’ll be feeling that same way tomorrow!” She joked.

 

“You guys want drinks? I stole these from the catering staff!” a familiar voice interjected into their conversation. All three turned to see their other friend Poe trying to balance four champagne flutes. Rey was not surprised that this was his first priority. They each grabbed one and cheered to each other, clinking the glasses together loudly. They hoped that the adults were too busy talking to see a group of 17-year-olds indulging in alcohol.

 

Rey hurried herself to finish, not wanting to get busted by her parents when she spilled champagne all over the front of her dress.

 

“Damn, Rey. Can’t handle your drink?” Poe teased. Rose shushed him and turned Rey to face her.

 

“Oh no, you smell like straight up alcohol now! Your parents are going to flip! You better get that off.” Rose lectured while looking around. Finn nodded in agreement as he took her glass.

 

“Here, go the bathroom and clean it up! We’ll be right here.”

 

Rey rolled her eyes and maneuvered her way through the guests with her arms crossed. She checked all of the bathrooms on the bottom level of the house to see that they were all occupied. She glanced up the stairwell and couldn’t bring herself to go up there to search for another bathroom. Instead, Rey found her way to the kitchen.

 

Grabbing a spare towel from the caterers, she drenched the towel in the sink before sneaking away to the corner of the room. Rey scrubbed furiously at the stain on her chest, hoping she could scrub away the evident smell. 

 

“Rey? What are you doing in here?” A deep voice pulled her from her task. Rey looked over to the direction of the voice and her face lit up. 

 

“Ben! Hey! Oh nothing, I just spilled some drink on my dress. Clumsy, as always. I’m just trying to get it off real quick.” She explained, holding up the wet towel.

 

Ben Solo was Leia’s son and Rey’s neighbor. He moved in when three years ago when she started high school and they’ve been close ever since. He was a bit older than her, at 33 years old, but she didn’t care because he was the kindest person she had ever met. Her parents often relied on Ben to help out around the house when they were on trips. Rey always went over to Ben’s house to watch TV or just talk about things she didn’t want to tell her parents. Like crushes and mean girls at school. Ben had the best advice.

 

He approached her and took the towel from her hand. “Here, come upstairs with me. My mom has some stain remover in the laundry room we can use. Your parents will never know it’s champagne.” He asserted with a wink. Rey giggled and hit him playfully on the arm.

 

“How’d you know?”

 

“I saw you and your friends with the glasses. You guys weren’t exactly being discrete. You’re lucky I distracted your parents for you.”

 

Rey defended her friends as they marched up the stairs. She couldn’t help but look around at the gorgeous paintings and rooms around her as she peeked into each one when Ben wasn’t looking.

 

He led her into a laundry room with a washer and dryer nestled in the corner. Compared to the rest of the house, Rey was extremely disappointed at the lack of decoration. Not that Leia was doing her own laundry. Ben gestured for her to sit on the washer as he reached above her for the stain remover bottle. Rey swung her legs gleefully out in front of her as she told him about the new show she was watching.

 

“So, I started Stranger Things today! It’s really good like you said!” She exclaimed. Ben poured a little bit of the remover onto the wet towel and rubbed it in before dabbing at her dress as she talked.

 

“Really? Where are you at in the show?”

 

“Halfway through the first season!”

 

“It’s going to get even better. Keep watching it! I haven’t started season two yet so we can watch that together when you catch up.” He suggested.

 

“I’d like that.” she agreed.

 

Her eyes darted down to where her was rubbing in circles, saturating the remover into her dress. She looked back up to see him looking at her, not the stain, with his dark eyes. She smiled at him and he returned the smile before throwing the towel in the basket behind her. Rey blushed a little as she realized he was technically touching her boobs but she pushed the thought away quickly. This was Ben, not some stranger! 

 

He helped her down from the washer and steadied her with a tight grip. She could see that the spot was still wet, but now she could blame it on water without the smell of champagne giving her away. Rey thanked him and rushed downstairs, just as the announcement was made that dinner was being served.

 

“Where’d you go?” Finn questioned as Rey took her seat next to him.

 

“I went to go wipe off the stain with water, but Ben had a better idea so he helped me!” She replied. Finn rolled his eyes in annoyance. On multiple occasions, Finn had made his disdain for Ben vocal. None of her friends really understood her friendship with Ben. They all thought he was the “weird single neighbor”. Rey just knew that Ben wouldn’t settle for just any girl. He was probably waiting for the right one.

 

Rey and her friends sped through dinner, rushing to get out to the front porch and talk while sitting in the rocking chairs. There they talked about school and how much they hated their classes and then switch the subject to the colleges they were applying to. Rey and Rose were applying to Duke University while Finn and Poe were applying to NYU. Her parent came out later to drag her back inside to thank Leia for the invite and then head home.

 

On the way, Rey and her parents discussed signing up for the SAT and soccer scholarships, promising that she would stay on top of it. Once they got home, she plopped down on the couch and turned Netflix on to continue Stranger Things. The phone rang and she snatched it up, itching to get back her show.

 

“Niima Residence?” She spoke into the phone.

 

“Rey, this is Leia. Can you please pass the phone to your mom?” Leia requested in a solemn tone. Confused, Rey handed the phone to her mom and watched as her eyes went wide and she walked into the kitchen in a hushed voice. Her dad followed and Rey shrugged and turned the TV on, reminding herself to ask them later. 

 

After the episode ended, she stalked into the kitchen to get some water before bed when she saw her parents sitting at the table, muttering to each other.

 

“What’s going on with you two?” She asked curiously, grabbing a glass and getting some water from the sink.

 

“Should we tell her, James?” her mom whispered harshly to her father. He looked up at Rey and then back to her mother and nodded.

 

“Tell me what?”

 

“We just found out that Camilla Harper was found dead this evening under the Main Street bridge.”

 

“D-did she accidentally fall over or something?” Rey asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

 

“No, Rey. Camilla was murdered.” 

  
  
  



	2. Bonded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and her friends learn more about the murder and Rey and Ben have a little Netflix and no chill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: mention of murder and rape
> 
> And thanks to Malevolent Reverie for checking things over for me! I couldn’t have this story without you!

 

The rest of the weekend passed by in a blur. Rey spent her Sunday distracting herself with her chemistry homework. The problem set could not keep her mind from wandering back to Camilla’s murder. Her parents spoke in hushed tones around her and she wished they would just tell her what was going on. She was curious to know how Camilla was murdered. Things like that didn’t happen in Lake Lure.

 

Was it a jealous lover? Was she robbed? Rey couldn’t remember a time when there was more than petty crime in her beautiful town. She knew she couldn’t ask her parents for the details because they would just tell her not to worry. She loved them but wished they trusted her. She was seventeen for crying out loud! She could handle this.

 

On Monday, Rey stuck close with her friends but the talk of the school was about Camilla. She focused during her history and chemistry class and tried not to listen to the whispers around her. At lunch, Rey found her way to her friends' usual table and took a seat to find her friends there, along with Kaydel. She was trying to find her way into the group but Rey wasn’t sure that she wanted to add another person to the dynamic foursome.

 

“I heard the killer slit her throat!” Poe exclaimed before taking a bite of his apple. Rey’s stomach lurched as she stared at her sandwich. Her appetite was diminishing by the minute as her friends theorized what happened to Camilla. The police were still investigating the cause of her death and so the citizens were stuck guessing in the meantime. Kaydel put her water down and spoke up.

 

“My mom works for the  _ Lure Gazette _ . She said that Detective Kanata informed her that Camilla was strangled to death and dumped into the creek under the bridge with her hands tied by some fancy blue scarf.” She said matter-of-factly. Rey and Rose looked at each other in horror and Rey pushed her sandwich away.

 

The thought of not being able to breathe and dying as someone cut off your air supply was horrifying. She could not even imagine what went through Camilla’s mind. Was she scared? Was she angry? She was only 21 years old. A receptionist at a local doctors office. Her whole life ahead of her.

 

“That’s not all,” Kaydel continued, pulling Rey from her morbid thoughts. She waved everyone on in and they leaned in to hear.

 

“Mom said she was raped before she was killed. Here’s the really weird thing though; she had a full face of makeup on like it had been freshly applied!” She whispered.

 

“That’s disgusting! It had to be someone from out of town!” Finn spoke up, his features twisting in anger.

 

“Yeah, who does that? Why put makeup on someone that you just killed?” Rose chimed in.

 

Her friends spent the rest of the lunch period theorizing until the bell rang for the third period. Rey threw out her uneaten lunch and made her way to English class. Rose thankfully changed the subject to her birthday party at the end of the month, debating on making it a Halloween party. They talked about costumes until class began.

 

Rey couldn’t focus for the remainder of her classes. Her mind was reeling from the discussion at lunch. She was intrigued and horrified at the same time. Lost in her thoughts at soccer practice, she fell twice and aggressively hip checked her teammate, earning her extra laps on the track. She quickly apologized to the girl and her coach and ran for her punishment. In the locker room, everyone was still talking about one thing. Camilla.

 

The sun was setting on the ride home from practice. Spooked by the recent events, she pedaled her bike a little faster than normal. She had to pass the bridge where Camilla died on the way home and she kept her eyes focused on the road ahead, fighting the temptation to stop and look over at the girl's final resting place.

 

She whipped into her driveway just as Ben was getting home. Rey slowed her bike down to a stop and hit the kickstand as she swung over the side. She walked up to the fence to greet him. He didn’t see her as he started walking towards the front door with his head down.

 

“Hey you!” She said, beaming at the sight of her friend. Ben stopped and turned to her and smiled as he approached. He was wearing a crisp grey suit with a black tie so she assumed he was coming home from a late night at work. He was a buyer for a local pharmacy.

 

“Hey, kiddo. How’s it going? Did you score any goals tonight at practice?” He asked, his eyes flickering over her practice uniform. She shook her head.

 

“No. I did get punishment laps though. I hip checked Stacy and she complained.”

 

“You? My sweet little Rey, attacking the other girls? That doesn’t seem like you at all.” He replied, reaching out to brush a stray hair from her face.

 

“I don’t know. All this stuff going on has me a little spooked, I guess.”.

 

“Yeah, it’s tragic. Poor girl. So did you get to season two of  _ Stranger Things _ yet?” He asked, changing the subject abruptly. Rey wasn’t sure whether she should be perturbed or relieved that he didn’t want to talk about the murder. It was what everyone was talking about.

 

“Nah, I was doing homework all day yesterday.”

 

“Good girl. Well, let me know when you get there and we’ll have a viewing night. I’ll make homemade pizza with mushrooms!” The deep stare that came with the suggestion was making Rey uncomfortable but Ben has always had an intense look about him, so she blamed it on paranoia about the recent events.

 

Rey smiled and nodded enthusiastically. She could use a fun night with Ben. He even planned on making her favorite pizza!

 

“Well, I better go! See you later, Ben!” She said, waving as she walked towards the door. He nodded and waved back before turning to go in himself.

 

\----------------------------

 

“Rey! You’re late! Where have you been?” Her mother screeched from the hallway. Rey dropped her bookbag on the floor and approached her mom in the kitchen.

 

“I was just outside talking to Ben! We are going to do a pizza night and have a Netflix marathon soon.”

 

“Okay honey. I want your father to pick you up and drop you off tomorrow. You don’t need to be on that bike this late after practice.” her mom said with a serious look. Rey huffed and rolled her eyes..

 

“But why? I’ve been riding to and from school since I was 12!” She replied, crossing her arms.

 

“No negotiations, Rey. Seriously. After what happened to Camilla, I don’t want to take any chances.”

 

“That was a freak incident though. Stuff like this doesn’t happen in Lake Lure. Finn says it’s probably someone from out of town, anyway! Can I please just ride my bike? I’m going to look like a loser if my parents pick me up and drop me off at school!”

 

“Last time I checked, Finn wasn't working for the local police department. Rey, your father will be taking you and picking you up. End of discussion. Now, there’s leftover chicken on the stove. Go eat and get to your homework. We aren’t talking about this again.” the rising tone of her mom’s voice ended the argument.

 

Miffed, Rey sighed and ate her chicken in silence at the table by herself. She was seventeen years old, not some stupid child! She’s been riding her bike for so long and it had become her solace just to feel the harsh wind in her face. It was her time to think. Now she was going to have to ride with her dad and listen to his endless lectures and horrible jokes. She couldn’t understand why her parents didn’t trust her.

 

The news blared Camilla's life story from the living room. What was Camilla even doing out that late? They didn’t get home from the dinner party until after 11 PM. There wasn’t any clubs or crazy nightlife. Was it just a wrong place, wrong time type of situation? Rey shuddered to think about the possibilities.

 

She hoped they would catch the killer. She was ready for all of this to be over.

 

Two weeks went by and Camilla’s name became more and more distant in the communities' conversations. The killer was still on the loose and the local police chalked it up to someone who was passing by the town. The killer left no handprints, no semen, nothing for them to go on. Rey was finally allowed to ride her bike again as her parents felt confident that Camilla's murderer was long gone from Lake Lure. In a way, Rey felt relieved when Camilla’s face stopped showing up in the news.

———————

It was a Friday night in mid-October and Rey had just finished her English homework. The assignment was to write a poem and she shoved her abysmal final product in her folder and called it a night. She had a show marathon to get ready for!

 

She finally finished the first season of  _ Stranger Things  _ and so it was time for her and Ben to binge watch season two. Rey’s parents waved her goodbye as she left the house in cozy sweatpants and a warm sweater. 

 

She trekked across her yard and rang the doorbell as she hugged herself in the crisp fall air. It got dark around five pm now, so the harsh wind bit into her skin through her clothes. Ben threw open the door and welcomed her in, the smell of fresh pizza filling her nose.

 

“Sorry it took so long to get to the door, Rey. I had to make sure I didn’t burn our dinner,” he said, smiling. 

 

She followed him into the kitchen. Rey had only been to Ben’s house a handful of times, for a cup of sugar here and there. 

 

“No problem,” Rey chirped. “Mom made us some brownies so we have dessert covered.” 

 

“Perfect! Set them down over here and go get comfortable on the couch. I’ll be there in one second with the pizza.”

 

Rey awkwardly found her way to the living room where a large leather sectional took up most of the space.

 

Plopping down in the middle, Rey was unsure if she could prop her legs up underneath or just keep them on the ground. Everyone always had different rules for their furniture. Her eyes drifted to her surroundings. No family photos on the wall, just abstract and landscape paintings. Everything was neat and in its proper place and it looked expensive. 

 

Ben pulled her from her thoughts as he walked in with a pizza on a clay platter, setting it down on the mahogany coffee table. He looked down at her feet and laughed. 

 

“You aren’t at my mom’s house, Rey. You can make yourself comfortable. Relax!”

 

Rey laughed at herself and pulled her feet up under her. He put a couple slices of pizza on a plate for her and settled on the couch beside her before turning Netflix on.

 

“I watched the trailer for season two. It’s going to be really good,” she said, making conversation. Rey took a bite of her pizza and held back a moan. Who knew that Ben was such a good cook? “This is amazing!”

 

“Thanks. I remember this being your favorite from that day I helped you guys paint your room. Glad you like it.” 

 

He pressed play for the first episode and they leaned back to watch the show. Rey finished her pizza and relaxed on the couch when she felt Ben’s arm reach over the back of the couch, resting just above her shoulders. She felt safe. 

 

They finished the first two episodes before wolfing down the brownies. Ben had some left over vanilla ice cream, so they heated up the brownies to make a sundae. She called her mom to check in before they began the next episode. Full of pizza and dessert, Rey felt her eyelids droop a little. 

 

She drifted in and out in the middle of the episode, the smell of Ben’s Ralph Lauren cologne filling her senses. 

 

“Rey? Wake up, silly girl. It’s two AM.” 

 

A deep voice pulled her from her slumber. Rey shot up and realized with a blush that she had fallen asleep on Ben’s shoulder. 

 

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, Ben! My mom is going to freak!”

 

Ben laughed softly and shook his head. “No worries. I called her and told her we were still watching TV and that I’d walk you home. We’ll have to rewatch episode four though because you completely slept through it.”

 

“I’m sorry about that,” she apologized. “Everything was great and I’m loving this season so far. Can we do this again? I’ll be sure not to fall asleep this time!”

 

He ruffled her hair and promised that they would. 

 

Ben and Rey walked out into the cold air so he could bring her home. The fog spooked her a little, but she felt safe with Ben. 

 

“See ya later, Rey,” he said when they arrived home. “Thanks for coming over. Let’s do this again next Friday!”

 

“You got it! Thanks again! Good night!” she called from the door. 

 

Giving her a quick side hug, Ben waved and walked off back toward his house. Rey watched him to make sure he got there safety. Not that he would have a have a hard time shaking anyone off. He was huge.

 

Closing her door and running up the stairs, Rey jumped into her warm bed, eager to go back to sleep. She fell asleep with a smile. Everything was much better now that things were back to normal.

 

That was until the body of Lauren Shores was found several days before Halloween. Her hands were bound with the same blue scarf as Camilla, with fresh makeup applied on her face.

  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and please leave comments and kudos!!!


	3. This is Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Halloween is here and Rey enjoys a night with friends. Too bad the fun won’t last long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! Mentions of murder in this chapter. Also - I do not claim to be a subject matter expert on the topic of criminal justice. So if you do see an inaccuracy, please let me know (nicely).
> 
> A HUGE THANKYOU as always to Malevolent Reverie ❤️ For checking things over and just being a phenomenal writer!

It was Halloween. Rey sipped on a pineapple and vodka mix while adjusting her costume. Rose suggested they get ready at her house before the guests arrived. Thankfully the Tico’s were out at the Halloween party at the City Hall, so Rose had her older sister, Paige, supply them with alcohol for her birthday. Rose was dressed up like a cat and Rey was Little Red Riding Hood. As the doorbell rang, she adjusted the red lipstick on her bottom lip and followed Rose downstairs.

 

“Hey!” Finn yelled as he stepped in with Poe, both dressed as zombies. The four took shots and waited on the rest of the guests to arrive. It was a smaller party, no more than twenty people.

 

Rose and Paige set up a beer pong table in the kitchen and Paige invited some of her college friends. Rey shied away from the older guys that hit on her and hung out with Finn all evening. Finn had a huge crush on Rose but wasn’t sure how to tell her so they rehearsed what he could say. Poe found Jessika, another classmate, and they disappeared into the bathroom. The night was perfect.

 

Rey eventually pulled Rose away from the party to give her the bracelet she had bought her for her birthday. Rey held up her wrist to show that they now had a matching set. Rose beamed and pulled her into a hug.

 

“I’m so glad we are going to go to college together! I don’t know if I could do it without you,” Rose said, her voice choking up slightly.

 

Rey smiled and bit back her own tears. She didn’t want to think about college or anything else tonight. “Of course! We gotta get through SAT’s first though. Let’s start studying together.”

 

“I’ll see if we can rent a room at the library or something and all four of us can join in,” Rose agreed.

 

Both girls chattered all the way to the kitchen so they could make another drink. Since the second murder, Rey was itching to talk about it with anyone. Her parents wouldn’t talk about it and she was nervous about bringing it up around Ben because he shot it down the first time she asked.

 

It was gruesome, but the whole thing made Rey curious. The police still won’t admit that it could be someone in Lake Lure, but she was starting to think otherwise. It was strange how both girls were found in the exact position, just in different bodies of water. Camilla under the bridge, and Laura at the beach on the lake. What was the killer’s obsession with bodies of water? And the makeup? Why put makeup on a dead person?

 

A few drinks later, Rey was really feeling it. She checked her phone to see that it’s already 10:30 and she told her parents she’d be home by midnight. They were going to kill her when they saw how drunk she was! Beginning to panic, Rey stepped outside of Rose’s house and dialed Ben’s cell and he picked up in one ring.

 

“What’s up, Rey? Had enough gloom and doom on this Halloween night?” he asked in a cheerful tone. It seemed like he was at a party himself because of the loud background noise.

 

“Um. I have a favor to ask,” she mumbled into the phone.

 

“Anything. What do you need?”

 

“Well. Please don’t get mad but...I’ve been drinking and I don’t want my parents to come and get me. They will smell it right on me!” she said, her features scrunching up to match the whine in her voice.

 

Ben laughed on the other end. “Why is it everytime I’m bailing you out of something, it involves alcohol? I’m on my way, but you’ll have to pay me back for all of the times I have to save you!” he teased.

 

Rey laughed back.

 

“Of course! Whatever you say! What do you want? It’s yours!” she promised.

 

Ben laughed, this time it sounded a little different than the first. “Hmmm, I’ll think of something. I’ll be there in five.” And with that, he hung up.

 

Rey rushed back inside to tell her friends that she was leaving and they all exchanged hugs. Grabbing her bag, she waited outside to see Ben’s 4Runner pull up. She realized that she had never ridden in his car before as she climbed in the front seat clumsily.

 

“Little too much to drink, huh?” he joked.

 

She laughed and leaned back in the seat, trying to catch her bearings. “Yeah. Little bit. I have to figure how I’m going to get up the stairs without my parents figuring it out.” Her surroundings were starting to spin.

 

Ben threw the car in park and leaned over her, brushing a hair out of her face.

 

“Well, I saw them at the Halloween party at the Hall so you might get away with it if we get you home in time,” he replied, his eyes set on the road.

 

Rey liked the sound of that. She turned and leaned against the window, watching her surroundings as they drove in silence to the smooth jazz that was playing on the radio. The sound almost put her to sleep.

 

She turned and looked around his car and noticed a tube of lip gloss in the cup holder. Giggling, she picked it up and twirled it under the moving street lights. The color was a soft pink with a simple shimmer.

 

“So what were you for Halloween that required lip gloss, Ben?” she asked, a glint of mischief in her eye.

 

Ben stared at the lipgloss like it held a deep secret and then shrugged. “I think my date from a while ago must have left that in my car. I didn’t even notice it.”

 

Rey opened the lipgloss and a warm vanilla scent filled her nose.

 

“What are you doing?” he asked hurriedly, his eyes flickering between Rey and the road.

 

She flipped the visor down and swiftly applied the lip gloss over her lips. Her red lipstick had worn off hours ago. While she was admiring the color, Ben ripped it from her hands and threw it in the back.

 

“Rey, do you know how unsanitary that is?” he asked in a clipped tone.

 

Rey licked her lips a little before responding. She was slightly taken aback by the sudden offense of his dates’ old lipgloss.

 

“Oh please. Your date couldn’t have been that nasty if  _ you _ went on a date with her. Besides, it was Chanel. That girl has expensive taste! It doesn’t really go with my costume though. The red lipstick looked better.” She shrugged as she leaned back in her seat.

 

“Yeah, about that costume. What are you supposed to be?”

 

“Red Riding Hood!” she said proudly, flipping the hood over her curly hair.

 

His eyes grazed over her outfit and she suddenly felt a little awkward wearing only a short dress that barely ended past her butt. Rey tugged on the skirt a little bit before crossing her arms over her cleavage.

 

“Red Riding Hood…” He mulled it over. “Well, that means you have to keep an eye out on the Big Bad Wolf.” His voice changed into a deeper tone.

 

Rey blamed her sudden discomfort on the alcohol. It was making her a bit untrusting. “The only Big Bad Wolf I have to worry about is the guy that’s going around killing girls in town. We are on the second one already. It must be a serial killer.”

 

“Three.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“You need three or more consecutive murders with the same method to call it the work of a serial killer.”

 

Silence filled the car as they passed the bridge where Camilla was found. Ben looked over at her and put a hand on her knee. Rey’s eyes flickered down to his knee and resisted the urge to pull it away from his grasp.

 

“Just stay out of the woods, little Red, okay?” he whispered, his eyes boring into hers.

 

She looked over at him in a haze and nodded. She needed to get home. The alcohol was playing tricks on her.

 

“I know that. Maybe the same guy passed through town. I don’t think anyone here would do that. Laura was a sweet girl, she never hurt anyone. What do you think?” she asked, hoping he wouldn’t shut her down.

 

“I’m not sure. I think we should let the police handle it.”

 

Defeated, Rey turned to look out of the window for the remainder of the ride. Her eyes closed to the music when a bump woke her up. Ben opened the door for her. Feel dizzy, Rey slipped out of the car and Ben gripped her arms to hold her steady. She sighed in relief when she didn’t see her parents car. She would just text them to tell them that Ben brought her home. They wouldn’t mind.

 

“Thank you for taking me home,” she mumbled.

 

Ben walked her to the front door and leaned her against him as he pulled out the keys. Her parents had given him an extra set years ago.

 

“Do you think you can get upstairs to your room by yourself?” he asked, pushing the door open and helping Rey inside.

 

She tried to stand on her own and fought the dizziness. The stairs looked threatening and her eyes tried to focus.

 

“Yeah. I got this,” Rey cheered. Ben laughed softly and shoved his hands in his pocket and nodded his head for the stairs. She waved sheepishly and took the stairs one by one. Once she reached the top. Rey looked down at Ben and smiled.

 

“See? Not so hard! Thank you for taking me home, and keeping this from my parents!”

 

“Not a problem, Rey. Everyone has their secrets. I don’t mind keeping yours. You do owe me, though.” He replied, a smirk appearing on his face. He placed a hand to his chin as if he was in deep thought. Rey giggled at him and shook her head.

 

“I’m sure you’ll think of something.”

 

“I’m sure I will. Maybe one day you’ll be keeping my secrets. Good night, Rey.” And with that, Ben let himself out and Rey was alone in her house. Her parents would probably party until after midnight.

 

She dragged herself to her bedroom and changed into comfortable pajamas before crawling into bed. Her costume laid at the foot of her bed and her make-up smeared onto her pillow as she fell asleep.

  
  


——————-

 

Rey woke the next morning to the sound of lawnmowers, birds, and dogs barking outside. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, ensuring she wasn’t dizzy any longer before heading to the bathroom. She was extremely thankful that it was the weekend.

 

Her mind shifted to Rose’s party the night before and Rey smiled to herself as she wiped off last night’s makeup. She laughed lightly at Ben getting grossed out by her trying on his failed date’s lip gloss. She wondered if that girl would ever see it again.

 

Walking down the stairs, she heard her parents in the same whispered tone that was all too familiar. She walked into the room to see them glaring at a newspaper on the table.

 

“What’s that about?” she asked, her brows furrowed as she pointed to the open article.

 

“Last night, Jessika Pava’s sister, Kate, was found dead at the marina,” her mother said, voice trembling.

 

Rey’s heart sank. Jessika’s sister was a good friend to Paige. This was starting to hit close to home.

 

“H-how? The same way as Camilla and Lauren?”

 

“Yes. Rey, I think we need to start picking you up and dropping you off again at your practice, okay sweetie?”

 

Rey didn’t argue this time. She nodded swiftly. Her mother set down a plate of eggs, but Rey wasn’t hungry. She wanted to call Rose and talk about Kate Pava. Her heart ached for Jessika. She didn’t even know what to say. She was an only child. Rose would know.

 

She shoved the plate away and mumbled an excuse about homework as she ran back up the stairs. Calling Rose, she plopped on her bed.

 

“Hey…” Rose said softly.

 

“Did you hear about Kate?”

 

“Yeah. Paige is really upset. This is scary, Rey. What if the killer starts going for high school girls next?”

 

Rose panicked on the phone while Rey bit her lip, her mind reeling. None of this made sense. Things like this didn’t happen in Lake Lure. She didn’t believe it was a random person anymore. Someone in town must be doing this.

 

“We need to figure out who this is, Rose. For our own sakes,” she said urgently.

 

Rose scoffed. “Rey, seriously? We’re seventeen. What the hell do we know about murderers or crime? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to know why the killer is doing it. I just want to stop.”

 

“But don’t you see? We have to know why for that to happen! That’s how we catch them!”

 

“You’re obsessed. Look, I can’t do anything. I need to go help Paige anyway. We’ll talk Monday, ok?”

 

Rey agreed and hung up the phone. Rose’s excuse for any conflict she didn’t want to deal with was to go do something else. Huffing, she tossed the phone on her bed and began to pace.

 

Ben’s words about the serial killer lingered in her mind. Three. There have been three murders now. All the same blue scarf. All naked, raped and left for dead.

 

Rey rushed through her shower and threw her hair back into three neat buns. She got dressed and ran back down the stairs with her bookbag in hand. Rummaging through the recycle bin, she was thankful that her parents didn’t throw away any newspapers. She snatched up the one about both Camilla and Lauren’s murder and grabbed the most recent one on the table, shoving them into her bookbag. She almost reached the door when her father stopped her.

 

“Where you off to, kiddo?” he asked.

 

Rey gripped the handle and turned back to him. “The library. I need to find some books for my English project. It’s still light out, can I ride my bike?”

 

Her dad was silent for a moment and he looked outside before he flashed a smile to her.

 

“Alright. But keep your phone on and call me right before you get home. You need to be back in the house by three thirty.”

 

Rey beamed and promised to be home before then. She hopped on her bike and completely missed Ben’s wave as she sped to the library.

 

She parked and locked her bike and walked through the doors, making a beeline for the nearest computer. Waking up the search engine, Rey took a breath.

 

With her nails clicking on the keyboard loudly, creating an echo, she typed in the words, “serial killer” and clicked search. At least 25 results popped up and Rey wrote them down before heading off to that section. She was determined to find out more.

  
  



	4. Sugar, Sugar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey digs deeper into the murders through research of her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PLEASE READ:
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: NON-CON AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS CHAPTER. NOT OF REY BUT IT STILL CONTAINS THE SUBJECT MATTER. IF YOU ARE NOT OKAY WITH THIS, PLEASE DO NOT READ. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. 
> 
> THERE WILL ALSO BE A FUNERAL TOO, IN CASE THAT IS A TRIGGER.
> 
> A HUGE THANK YOU TO MALEVOLENT REVERIE FOR BEING AMAZING AND CHECKING THIS FOR ME. SHE IS AN ANGEL AND YOU ALL SHOULD GO READ HER STORIES RIGHT NOW. THEY ARE GOLD.

 

 

__

 

_ Adrianne pulled on the handcuffs that bound her wrists tightly to the wired headboard. She groaned as pain rushed to her head. _

 

_ She knew where she was. Everyone knew each other in this town. Adrianne had always set her eyes on Ben Solo. Every girl in her twenties did. He was rich, well mannered and the perfect man to bring home to the parents. That’s why when she saw him in her apartment unannounced with a syringe, she was completely confused. _

 

_ Taking a look at her surroundings, Adrianne could see that she was naked, on a bare bed with just a sheet. The room around her was dark and musty. She could smell the moisture in the air. Guessing she was in a basement of sorts, she began banging the cuffs against the metal headboard. _

 

_ “Help! Someone!” Her voice cracked and she desperately craved water. Each clang brought a flash of pain from her headache. _

 

_ She heard a door open and footsteps down a staircase and continued screaming. Ben came into her vision. He wore a smirk that went along perfectly with his suit. _

 

_ “You’re being a little loud, don’t you think?” _

 

_ “Why are you doing this? Please let me out.” Whimpers escaped her lips. _

 

_ He walked up to her and stroked the hair out of her face. “Because I can make you perfect. Because I can.” He whispered softly to her. _

 

_ Adrianne harshly moved her to the side to try and avoid his touch. Tears fell from her eyes and she began sobbing. She had heard about the other girls on the news and she knew what was going to happen. _

 

_ “Please—please don’t do this,” she said, her voice escaping in sobs. She couldn’t see anything from the tears. _

 

_ Ben walked away and briefly return, shoving a cloth in her mouth to prevent her from talking anymore. “Shhhhh, darling. Don’t you want to be perfect? Though I could do everything I could and you’d still never be her.” He mused more to himself than to her. _

 

_ She sobbed harder as the bed creaked. Adrianne heard the clink of a belt and a zipper. Ben’s weight caged her underneath him as she felt a finger dip into her gently. She screamed as loud as she could and be softly cooed to her as if she were a child. _

 

_ “Hush.” His voice became harsher and she had no warning when he shoved into her. Adrianne screamed and shook her head to the side repeatedly. It didn’t faze Ben in any way as he continued his movements. His hot breath against her ear, she heard him whisper something and her eyes widened. “Oh, Rey.” _

 

——-

 

Rey spent hours pulling books off of shelves and sifting through their contents. Some books were added to the ‘take-home pile’ while the others were re-shelved. She searched through psychology books, serial killer textbooks for Criminal Justice courses, and even first-hand accounts from witnesses and survivors of several serial killers. Convinced that a serial killer was loose in Lake Lure, Rey was more determined than ever.

 

She didn’t know why she cared so much. Was it because she actually knew Jessica’s sister? Was it because it was getting closer and closer to home? Or was it the curiosity that someone was terrorizing women in her perfect town? Rey wasn’t sure, but she hoped to find the answer hidden in the stack of books she’s was checking out.

 

The librarian gave her a strange look while checking the books out for Rey and she prattled on about a school psychology project. It wasn’t exactly a lie. She had the class the next semester. Maybe she could get a head start!

 

Shoving the books into her bag, Rey darted out the door. Her phone glared “3:30 PM” in bright white numbers. She hopped on her bike and pedaled home.

 

That evening, Rey scarfed down dinner and made the excuse about homework as she buried herself in her room, declining to go see the new “Mission Impossible” movie with her parents. She was thankful as she didn’t want them to burst him to see her surrounded by her loot from the library. For hours she skimmed stories of brutal murders, bloody corpses, and vicious killers. She knew she was going to create her own nightmares, but Rey couldn’t stop.

 

She pulled out a notebook and began to jot down notes.

 

_ “Traits of a Serial Killer” _

 

She read through and added several things to her list.

 

_ Traumatic childhood - past memories affect the brain into these behaviors. _

 

_ Often visits the site of the murder because they relish in it…check the sites of Camilla and Laura’s murder? _

 

Her notes became more jumbled and unorganized, but Rey could see it perfectly clear. She was looking for someone who was extremely talented at hiding their truths.

 

She flipped her notebook over and scribbled more notes.

 

_ Psychopathic traits… _

 

_ Manipulative and charming. _

 

_ Pathological liar _

 

_ No remorse or major emotions. _

 

Chewing on her eraser, Rey willed herself to think of anyone who would fit the bill. She couldn’t bring anyone to mind. The truth was that everyone in town was nice! Someone had to be lying. She shivered at the thought of having any contact with the person who could be behind the murders.

 

A chime of the doorbell caused Rey to jump. Her eyes flickered to click on her wall. Who on earth would be ringing the bell at 10 PM? A chill ran down her spine. Her parents weren’t due at home for another hour.

 

What if it was the killer? Nervous, Rey tiptoed down the stairs and toward the door. It was times like these that she wished they had a peephole. Her parents were far too trusting. She looked around quickly for some type of weapon as the doorbell chimed once more, a little more hurriedly. Rey cursed herself for not stopping by the kitchen to arm herself with the biggest knife she could find.

 

She yanked up the rolled up newspaper meant for their dog, Bailey, who was surprisingly not startled at all by their late night visitor. Useless animal.

 

“W-who is it?” she asked, inwardly cringing at the sound of her voice. What a stupid question to ask if this was indeed the murderer.

 

“Rey, it’s Ben.”

 

Sighing in relief she opened the door to see Ben smiling as he waved a cup in his hand. His eyes glanced down to see the rolled newspaper clutched tightly in Rey’s grasp.

 

“Oh, Ben, you scared me,” she said, her voice cracking.

 

He laughed as he let himself in. She shut the door behind him and walked to the kitchen with him following.

 

“It’s just me, silly girl. Not some...psycho killer or something,” he teased.

 

Rey laughed nervously and tossed the newspaper on the countertop. “Yeah? Well, I was ready for it!”

 

“With Bailey’s newspaper? What were you going to do with that, Rey, spank me?”

 

She giggled but stopped when she looked up to see his eyes staring intensely at her. He laughed back at her and leaned on the countertop, pushing his cup toward her.

 

“I came for some sugar, please.”

 

“This late? Making some cookies or something?”

 

“Baking some late night treats, yes. I crave sweet things in the evening.”

 

“Oh, cool. I’ll get you some. It’s over here,” she said, walking toward the top shelf. She stood on her tiptoes to reach the sugar bag at the very top when she felt something hot against her back. Rey turned to see Ben. His arm extended to grab the sugar for her.

 

Trapped slightly between the counter and her neighbor, Rey blushed a little.

 

“Sorry, I was struggling a bit there.” The scent of pine was overwhelming her nose. He looked down at her and a smile slowly graced his lips.

 

“No problem. A shortie like you couldn’t have gotten that anyway. Don’t worry, you’ll always have me to help.” He murmured, handing her the bag. Wanting to get out from under his intense gaze, Rey coughed out a laugh and squirmed away from him. She began scooping heaps of sugar into the cup as Ben leaned against the counter with his arms crossed.

 

“So where’s the folks tonight?” he asked. She could feel his stare on her back.

 

“At a movie!”

 

“They didn’t take you? Usually, you guys are inseparable.”

 

“Nah, I wanted to stay and catch up on some...research.” By research, she meant studying the traits of a psychopath. Not that she would tell Ben that.

 

“Here you go!” she said, a smile beaming at him as she handed Ben the cup. He took it slowly and returned the smile, his hand touching hers briefly. Rey fought back another blush. What the hell was wrong with her! This was her sweet, brotherly, neighbor Ben. She shouldn’t be feeling this way.

 

“Thanks, kiddo.” Ben walked back toward the door and Bailey finally realized that someone was here. He got up and sniffed Ben and suddenly growled. Ben’s eyes furrowed at the dog and he shrugged.

 

“That’s weird, Bailey’s never done that with you before,” Rey said, scrunching her nose in confusion.

 

“Eh, dogs are weird sometimes. Anyway, tell your parents I said ‘Hi’ and thank you for helping with the sugar.”

 

“No problem! As long as you share.” She said, leaning against the door. The cool fall air brushed against her face.

 

“Of course. As long as you are a good girl.” He responded, staring at her for a moment before waving and walking down the porch steps.

 

“I’ll try! Bye Ben!”

 

She closed the door and locked it behind her. Taking one look at Bailey, she rolled her eyes.

 

“Some guard dog you are! Ben’s a friend, you crazy pup.”

 

The dog ignored her and went back to his favorite chair to sleep. Rey ran back up the stairs to continue her research.

 

The next morning, Rey woke up with her face stuck to a psychology book. She sat up and wiped the drool from her face and the cold draft in the room made her shiver. With how cheap her father could be, she wouldn’t be surprised if he turned off the heat. However, she realized that wasn’t the case when she looked over and saw her window slightly cracked open. Her brows furrowed as she didn’t remember opening the window the night before. Rey shrugged it off quickly as she’s opened the window before when she had got hot while sleeping. Surely that was the case here. Being on the second floor would make it hard for anyone to open it otherwise.

 

 

 

Sunday flew by with actual homework and studying her library books in between. Monday morning hit with a loud alarm and groan from Rey as she dragged herself out of bed and began getting ready for school.          

 

The November chill brought a crisp bite to it and so she was grateful when her mother had dropped her off at school that morning. Rose was sitting by their usual spot before class, but this morning she wasn’t her normal chipper self. Finn sat beside her in silence and Rey joined them. Rose’s eyes looked puffy from crying and Rey knew it was about Jessika’s sister.

 

They had all played with Katie Pava growing up. Rose and Rey wanted to be just like her and often copied her, much to Jessika’s annoyance. Paige and Katie were best friends, so Paige was going to be out of school for the week. Rey didn’t even want to think about something happening to Rose. All the more reason to figure out who this killer was.

 

“So, are you guys not going to the bonfire this weekend, then?” Kaydel asked after taking note of the Monday morning mood. Finn shot her a look and Kaydel shrugged and threw her arms up.

 

“We’ll see,” Rey said, her tone clipped. She hoped they could all go to the annual bonfire. The parents never knew about it and would never approve of the bonfire party in the woods past the lake. Especially now with a murderer on the loose.

 

It was always a good time and Rey looked forward to it every year. This year, it just felt like a dark cloud looming over them as Jessika’s sister wouldn’t be there. She was a senior and apart of the group that planned the event. She wondered if they would even have it now. Rey’s eyes widened and she suddenly pulled out the notebook she had been writing her notes on the murders. She scribbled “Is age an important piece?”, being careful not to show her notes to the others. That’s the last thing Rose needed to see right now. Before she could think more on her new bullet point, the bell rang and they rushed off to class.

 

——-

 

Wednesday was the funeral for Katie and Rey skipped school to attend. Dressed in her best black dress and slick black heels, she bundled herself up in her peacoat and made her way into the church.

 

Her parents got a seat next to the Tico’s and Rey pulled Rose and Paige into a hug. Jessika pulled them aside to sit up at the front with her. Rey secretly didn’t want to but she willed herself to for Rose’s sake. Usually, she didn’t do funerals except for relatives and being so close to the body of someone so young, someone she knew and grew up with, made her that much more uncomfortable.

 

Jessika sniffled as the priest announced for everyone to get to their seats. Rey’s mind went into overdrive as the priest droned on about Katie’s life and all of the wonderful things that she did. She glanced around the room and wondered if the killer was sitting among them. He had to be! It would raise suspicion if he wasn’t. Her eyes studied the room for anyone she could think of as a possible suspect.

 

Her eyes flickered to Ben who caught hers and winked before turning his attention back to the priest. She smiled and turned back around, feeling embarrassed that he had caught her not paying attention. There went that blush again. Why was she acting this way! Was it because they were so close the other night? Rey shook it from her mind. Ben was an older brother to her. That was just weird for her to think of him that way.

 

The service ended and everyone made their way to pay their last respects to Katie. When it was Rey’s turn, she tearfully looked down at her friend and her heart sank. She looked peaceful and perfect in her youth and Rey felt anger at her friend being taken away so young.

 

“Who did this to you? I’m going to find them, I promise.” She whispered before moving on. She wiped her eyes quickly and made her way to the exterior of the church to find her parents. Rose found her first and they cried together before the Tico’s pulled her away. Standing there alone, she hugged herself before she felt a large hand on her shoulder.

 

Turning to see Ben, Rey wiped her eyes once more. She tried to squeak out a greeting, but she just burst into tears. Her hands flew to her face and she felt warmth envelope her. Rey felt herself being pulled away gently from the crowd.

 

Ben pulled her hands away from her face and through teary eyes, Rey could see that he was bent down in front of her. If she wasn’t at a funeral, mourning the sister of her close friend, she would’ve laughed at how silly he looked. His thumbs went to her eyes to wipe the tears away.

 

“Hey, it’s okay to be sad,” he whispered to her. She sniffled and nodded.

 

“I know. I’m just so angry too,” managed between sobs and hiccups.

 

“Why?” he asked, pulling a tissue out of his pocket and handing it to her. His eyes willed for her to continue. Rey couldn’t help but notice a hint of amusement in them.

 

“That mean, evil person that did this. I hate him. I hate him for taking her away. I wanna know why. It’s not fair.”

 

Ben didn’t respond, he just looked down at the ground before smiling softly at her. He brushed a hair away from her face and stood up.

 

“Sometimes people do evil things for reasons we don’t know why. It’s just life.” Rey looked up at him in confusion. She was about to argue when her mom rushed up to her, gripping her wrist.

 

“Thank you for taking care of her, Ben. We have to go honey.” Her mother said with worth laced in her tone.

 

“No problem, Daisy. Is something wrong?” Ben asked. Her mother flashed a look at Rey before responding.

 

“They found another one.”


	5. If You Go Out in the Woods Today...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey goes to the place of a crime scene and discovers more than hot cider at a bonfire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: mention of rape. Some blood in this chapter. 
> 
> Thanks to Malevolent Reverie being a constant inspiration and for reading things over for me :)

 

After the murder of Adrianne, the police finally put a curfew at nine PM for all young adults under the age of twenty-five. Not that everyone would listen, but the police department hoped that it lessen the likelihood that other young women would meet the same end as the others.

 

Jessika hadn’t been back to school in weeks and Rose acted like a zombie. Rey buried herself more and more into researching serial killers to the point where she was having nightmares. She barely slept and when her parents thought she was staying up late to do her European history homework, she was hunched over her laptop studying Ted Bundy and the Zodiac killer. 

 

She looked worse for the wear. She didn’t notice how bad it was until she got to school that Friday morning. Poe waved his math folder in her face to get her attention.

 

“Earth to Rey, Earth to Rey!” he said in a teasing manner, the smirk clear on his face. 

 

Rey swatted the folder away, causing it to hit his stubbled face. With a beard, Poe could easily pass for a man in his early twenties. 

 

“Leave me alone,” she muttered. 

 

“What’s got you and Rose? It’s been weeks, guys. Jess’ll be back soon. After all, she can’t miss the bonfire this weekend. We already pushed it back a ton.”

 

“Do you really think Jessika will want to attend the bonfire after what happened to her sister? Besides, my parents aren’t going to let me go.” Rose spoke up in an icy tone. 

 

Rey winced and shook her head. “Yeah, my parents have cracked the whip since Adrianne. With the curfew and all, I’m surprised they are still having it.” She turned back to the homework she should have done the night before, but researched instead. 

 

“It’s going to be a complete bore at this rate,” Poe sighed, rolling his eyes. He just didn’t get it. All of the girls were scared for their lives since the murders. Rey chalked it up to his inability to relate and murmured an excuse about getting to class early. Rose followed her, leaving Finn and Poe to discuss their weekend plans. 

 

“So, are you really not coming to the bonfire?” Rey asked, hugging her books tightly. She hadn’t even asked her own parents yet.

 

“Well, I did hear that there will be chaperones this year, so maybe my mom will let me. Paige won’t go though. Maybe you and I can go together and then spend the night at your house?” Rose suggested. 

 

Rey pondered the thought then nodded. “Yeah, we could do that! Let me talk to my mom tonight and see if she’ll agree.”

 

The girls stepped into the classroom for English and began their day. Rey was distracted by her murder research and didn’t care to pay attention to the themes of  _ The Crucible _ . Who cared if a bunch of horny teenagers pretended to see the devil so they could destroy the lives of married women?

 

She made bullet points in her journal of the crimes. 

 

  * Blue scarves around the wrists
  * Full face of make-up - why??
  * Evidence of rape
  * Thrown into a body of water - why?
  * What is the significance of it all???



 

She frustratingly scribbled the notes out. This wasn’t making any sense. In all of the book she read, killers had a measurable signature that helps profile who there were. Rey had no clue in this case. Why put makeup on a victim after they are already dead? What was the significance of the blue scarf?

 

“Rey? Are you paying attention?” Rose hissed at her. 

 

Rey quickly flipped the notebook shut and flicked her eyes to the front, where Mrs. Hunter looked at her expectedly. 

 

“Miss Niima? Care to share what’s more important than reading the part of Goody Proctor?”

 

Rey blushed and shook her head. With the help of Rose, she flipped to the page that they were at while the class snickered behind her.

 

                    ——————

 

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Now that soccer season was over, Rey was supposed to rush right home. She and Finn would ride their bikes together since he lived down the street and that was the only way that her parents would agree to her riding home. 

 

Today, Rey wanted to take a shortcut. She just needed to lose Finn first. One the way home she suddenly stopped her bike.

 

“Oh no! I left my Chemistry book in my locker. I need it to do my problem set. Shit!” she lied. 

 

Finn stopped and turned his bike toward her. “Do you want me to come back with you to get it? I don’t mind.”

 

“No, no. I’ll go back. It’s not too dark yet, I’ll be fine! Just don’t tell my mom. She’ll just think we left a little later than usual.” 

 

Finn appeared nervous as he glanced around. The shops around them were pretty much empty and the street lamps had just come on. Daylight savings was in full swing and it would be dark in thirty minutes. 

 

“I don’t know, Rey.”

 

“It’ll be fine, I promise. I don’t want to delay you. I’ll text as soon as I get home.”

 

“Okay…” he replied in a hesitant tone. 

 

Rey hoped he bought it. Finn waved to her and took off towards their home. 

 

Rey watched him leave before taking the turn towards the bridge where they found Camilla, the first victim. She read the night before that the killer often stalked the place where he left or buried his victims. 

 

She pumped her bike to the bridge and slowed down before pushing out the kickstand. A gust of wind blew past her, kicking up the dead leaves and eliciting a shiver from her. She regretted leaving her jacket at home. 

 

Walking up to the railing of the bridge, Rey looked down into the steady water. Camilla had been dumped under the bridge. She worked her mind as to how the killer would have done it without being detected. She pulled out her notebook and pencil and began sketching the scene. It was mediocre, but the point was to label everything and add to her notes. Rey had just sketched a stick person and named it “Camilla” when someone came up behind her and grabbed shoulders roughly.

 

“Gotcha!”

 

The warm breath in her ear was all it took for Rey to shriek at the top of her lungs. A hand clamped down over her mouth and she stomped on the foot of the attacker behind her and took off. 

 

Rey had almost made it to her bike when she tripped, hard, landing on the ground with her notebook in shambles and pencil rolling away. 

 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Rey, calm down, it’s me!” a deep voice called out from behind her. 

 

Rey rolled over on her back and saw Ben standing about a foot away with his palms facing out toward her. 

 

A wave of relief rushed through her before the pain set in. Her hands and knees were scraped up and bloody from the escape attempt and tears brimmed her eyes. Her heart fluttered in her chest. 

 

“That wasn’t funny, Ben!” she snapped, voice cracking. Ben rushed up to her and bent down to inspect her cuts. She hissed when he touched her knee. 

 

“Oh shit. I’m so sorry, sweetie. I was just playing a little joke on you. You looked so enamored with your notebook that you didn’t even see me wave or come up to you.”

 

“Well, it’s not cool when there’s a killer lurking around town!” Rey was still pissed.

 

“I didn’t even think about that. Here, let me help you up. I parked close by so I can put your bike in the back and take you home. You really shouldn’t be out here, anyway.” His hand gripped her wrist and pulled her up gently. She hobbled over to grab her pencil and almost got to her notebook but Ben grabbed it before she could. 

 

“What were you doing out here anyway? Writing a love letter to a secret admirer?” he said, a smirk matching his playful tone. 

 

“Ew, no. Give me that back, please.” She reached out for the notebook but he playfully pulled it back. Panic filled her eyes as she frantically fought him to get her notebook back. He laughed as he looked through the pages. His laughing suddenly stopped.

 

“Oh Rey… don’t tell me you were here because you wanted to see something,” he said, his tone becoming parental. 

 

Embarrassed, Rey blushed and yanked the book from him quickly, shoving it into her book bag. 

 

“I’m just trying to get the facts.” She gripped her bike and hobbled alongside him as they walked quietly to the car. The joking mood was gone from both of them. He took her bike and lifted it into the back of his 4Runner. 

 

Rey sat in the front seat with her arms crossed. He slid in beside her and started the car. 

 

“Text your mom and tell her you’re stopping by my place on the way home. I need to clean up your cuts since I caused them,” he said, his tone clipped and his eyes on the road ahead. 

 

Rey did as she was told and tossed her phone back in her bag. She didn’t understand why Ben was so mad. Usually, he didn’t give a shit about the case. He obviously wasn’t thinking about it when he scared her. 

 

“Are you mad at me?” she asked in a small voice. 

 

He sighed and turned his eyes softly to her. “No. I just don’t understand why you are fascinated with this stuff. It’s not healthy. Is it because of Katie Pava?” 

 

Rey looked down and shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I just want to know who it is, you know?”

 

“Well, let the police handle it. This isn’t an episode of Law and Order, Rey. I don’t know what I would do if someone kidnapped you. No offense, but that foot trick of yours barely hurt. I only let you go because you looked terrified. I’d never hurt you, Rey, you know that, right?”

 

She nodded and leaned her head on his shoulder the best she could from the passenger side. Sighing, she breathed in the pine scent from his t-shirt.

 

“I know. You’re like the big brother I never had, Ben. Would you rather I was writing a note to a secret admirer out there?” she said, beaming up at him. 

 

“I don’t know if I’d like that either. I’m not keen on the idea of you dating,” he replied, his voice taking a darker tone. 

 

She leaned back in feigned shock. “What? I’m seventeen!”

 

“Trust me, I know.”

 

“What’s that supposed to mean? Don’t you trust me around guys?”

 

“It means you are getting older and I know what boys your age want.”

 

Rey blushed and leaned back in her seat, staring at the window. Ben pulled up into his driveway and got out to retrieve her bike. 

 

She pushed the bike over to the garage and followed Ben into his house where he was already heading to the kitchen for the first aid kit. He slapped the top of the countertop, ushering her to jump up on it. 

 

Rey hopped up and looked down at the cuts on her knees. The fall had caused a large gash just below her right knee and her hands stung. Ben wordlessly wiped her cuts and rolled his eyes at her hissing from the sting. He put band-aids on her wounds and then held his hands out to help her down. 

 

Rey slipped down and once again found herself trapped between a countertop and Ben Solo. She wasn’t sure how she felt about this trend. Looking up at him she smiled and suddenly pulled him into a hug. After a moment, he gripped her tightly to him and she felt his nose in her hair, breathing in. 

 

“I’m sorry for scaring you, Rey,” he murmured. His voice was muffled by her hair. She hugged him tighter and then pulled back before punching his arm lightly. 

 

“Yeah, you should be, giving me a scare like that. Halloween is over, you know,” she said, sticking her tongue out at him. He laughed and walked her to the door. As Rey rushed down the front steps a chilling question entered into the forefront of her mind.

 

Turning before he could shut the door, she asked, “So, what  _ were _ you doing out there by the bridge anyway?”

 

Ben shrugged and gestured to his athletic pants and shoes. “Running, of course.” He waved and closed the door, leaving Rey shivering in his front yard. 

  
  


                ————————

 

Rey never thought she would be more excited for a bonfire than she was now. All weekend her mind was chewing on the idea of Ben and whether or not he was a suspect.

 

She hesitated in writing his name down on her “Suspects” list, which was currently filled with the homeless guy down the street and the weird kid from her math class. Rey was constantly back and forth between laughing at the notion of writing Ben down and then second guessing it. 

 

Ben, her sweet, brotherly neighbor, a murderer? It was almost laughable. He was so upset at the thought of her searching for clues.  _ Or maybe he was afraid of getting caught.  _

 

Rey shook her head. She welcomed the distraction of hot cider, the warm fire, and a night with her friends. After begging their parents, Rose and Rey were finally allowed to attend the bonfire. But the caveat was they both had to be home by eleven PM. Rey quickly hid all her if research in her closet as the doorbell rang. 

 

“Mom, can you let Rose in?” she yelled down the hall. Rey tugged on her brown boots and took one look in the mirror. She heard Rose run up the stairs and they laughed immediately as they realized they were matching in brown leather jackets, red shirts, jeans, and boots. Rey pulled her hair into three buns and snatched up her purse.

 

Her father tossed her the keys to his Lexus and she promised to drive safe and not drink. On the way there, Rose talked to Rey about her upcoming eighteenth birthday at the end of December. Rey usually hated it because her birthday got combined with Christmas. Rose insisted on having a big party.

 

“No, I don’t want anything like that.”

 

“But what about Leia’s? I know she’d let you have it there! She loves you like a daughter. Especially since you are neighbors with her hot son,” Rose teased. 

 

Rey laughed a little but couldn’t fight the gnawing inside her stomach. The last thing she wanted to discuss was Ben. She promised Rose she’d ask Leia so that the discussion could end faster. 

 

They strolled up to the bonfire and found their group. Poe was flirting with Kaydel and Finn pulled Rose aside to talk to her, leaving Rey by herself. She walked over to the drink table and grabbed a hot cider and stood closer to the fire. 

 

“Don’t get too close, you might get burned,” a voice called out directly behind her. 

 

She wasn’t familiar with the person so she turned to see Armitage Hux, a senior from her history class waving at her. She laughed and clutched the cider closer to her. 

 

“I’m a big girl. I can handle myself,” she retorted with a wink. 

 

He joined her and shoved his hands in his pockets. His hair was just as fiery bright as the fire in front of them.

 

“So, did you come here by yourself?” he asked shyly. 

 

Rey took a sip of her cider before responding. Her thoughts went back to Ben telling her he didn’t like her dating or talking to boys. 

 

“No, my friends are all over there. I just wanted to get away for a minute.”

 

“You’re in European history class with Barker, right? I’m in that class too. Though, I sit in the back and don’t have all the answers like you do.” 

 

“That’s not true! Just speak up. History is my favorite subject so I just like to talk about it, I guess.”

 

“Well pass on some of that knowledge to me then. I’m barely passing and that test next week will throw me over the edge.”

 

“Hmmm, maybe I can study with you so that won’t happen!” Rey blurted out before she could stop herself. She honestly didn’t seem any harm in it. 

 

Armitage grinned and nodded enthusiastically. “I could hug you right now. You are a lifesaver.” He blushed a little himself. 

 

Rey smiled and agreed on a date that would work for them both. She gave him her number and he told her he went by ‘Hux’. They laughed and shook on it and Rey awkwardly rushed off to her friends. Rose has watched the whole thing and teased her about it. 

 

They spent the rest of the evening talking more about Rey’s possible birthday party. Rose was convinced it would be the party of the year. Rey rolled her eyes and agreed to let her friend plan it. She wasn’t sure her parents would be cool with it though. She glanced at her phone to see that it was pushing close to their curfew to be home. Rose agreed that they better not play their luck with Rey’s parents and told their friends they’d see them on Monday. Rey couldn’t help but notice that Rose’s hand stayed clasped with Finn’s a little longer than usual. 

 

As they were walking through the woods on the path back to her father’s car, a scream pierced through the air followed by a crunching sound. A chill rushed down Rey’s spine and fear paralyzed her into place. Her eyes shot to the woods where they could hear leaves shifting as if someone was running. Was that the killer? Did he find someone in the woods? Did he find another victim to torture?

 

“D-did you hear that?” Rey whispered. She pulled out her phone to turn on the flashlight. The woods were completely empty and the only sound was the distant music from the bonfire. Rose’s eyes flickered around the woods before looking at her friend. 

 

“I’m sure it was just some people playing a prank back there. C’mon, let’s just get to the car. I’ll feel safer there.” 

 

Rey followed Rose down the path, her flashlight going back and forth between the trail and the woods. Something blue caught her eye, but Rey shook her head and thought better of it. Her mind was playing tricks on her. 

 

As they approached her car, something nagged her to go back. She pretended to look in her purse and patted her jeans. Rey felt bad using this exact same lie with another of her friends, but she just had to know.

 

“Oh crap. I think I dropped my keys on the path.” 

 

Rose’s eyes widened and she looked at the dark trail behind them. “Ok. Let’s, um, go back for them then. I’ll come with you,” she said, her voice shaking. 

 

Rey used the fear to her advantage.

 

“No! I’ll go back myself. I think it was just a few moments ago. Stay here a second, ok?”

 

Rose nodded and Rey turned her flashlight on and took off in a run towards that blue object she thought she saw. She turned her flashlight off once she got to the trees so Rose wouldn’t guess why she went into the woods if she was watching. There, beside a rotting tree, was a ragged blue scarf. Silk. Looked expensive. 

 

With shaking hands, Rey gingerly picked it up to inspect it. Red stains spotted the middle of the fabric. She was pretty sure that she was holding the scarf that bound one of the victims. Bile rose up her throat and she almost dropped the accessory right there. 

 

A familiar pine scent filled her nose. She slowly brought the scarf to her nose and realized it must have been sprayed with something. Her blood ran cold. She knew where she had smelled that before. 

 

“R-Rey? Are you okay?” 

 

Rose’s voice pulled Rey out of her thoughts. Panicked, she shoved the scarf into her purse and raced back to the car. She wanted nothing more than for Rose to go home so she could inspect the scarf more. She couldn’t get that smell out of her mind who that scent belonged to. Surely she was wrong. 

 

“Hey, you find your keys?”

 

“Uh-yeah. Hey look, I honestly don’t feel well. Do you mind if I drop you off at home?”

 

                 ———————

 

“Poe! Stop! We have to get back to the party. The chaperones are going to find us,” Kaydel said, her pitch in a borderline whine. 

 

Poe ignored her request and pulled her closer.

 

“So? Why don’t you live on the edge a little bit, babe?” He asked, his lips brushing hers. He walked her back into the nearest tree and his hands began to roam her hips. Kaydel moaned and lean into the kiss. 

 

She opened her eyes and tugged Poe closer as he started nibbling on her neck. Kaydel leaned into the movements and opened her eyes slowly. Suddenly, her lungs produced a scream that she didn’t know she was capable of. 

 

Poe jumped back, staring at Kaydel’s hysterical screams. He turned to see what she was screaming at and he almost fainted. 

 

Lying less than ten feet from them was the body of an unconscious girl, naked and battered, barely breathing with blood matted into her hair. 


	6. In the Pines, In the Pines

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The more clues Rey finds, the more conflicted she becomes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A huge thank you to Malevolent Reverie for being an amazing beta! If you guys have not read her stories yet, YOU NEED TO. 
> 
> Trigger Warning: slight dubcon and mentions of rape and assault. Please do not read if this causes you distress.

 

 

 

 

 

Rey dropped off Rose and apologized for cutting their night short. She whipped the Lexus in the driveway and threw the car in park. It was 11:30 PM and she knew she was about to get a lecture because she broke her curfew. Gripping her purse with the scarf in it, Rey rushed toward her front door only to come face to face with her parents. And Ben.

 

“So, is your phone not working?” her mother quipped with her arms crossed. Rey clutched her purse tighter at the sight of Ben.

 

“Uh, Um, Mom, I’m so sorry. I dropped Rose off. I felt sick after the bonfire. I should have texted but I honestly was focused on just getting home,” Rey replied in a pleading tone.

 

Her mother raised an eyebrow and shifted looks with her father.

 

“Have you been drinking?” her father asked, holding his hand out for the keys.

 

She dropped them in his hand and aimed for the stairs. “No. I really don’t feel well.”

 

“Rey, do you know how worried we were? We called Ben because he said he saw you at the bridge yesterday. I was worried that you went back there alone.”

 

Rey shot a menacing look at Ben for selling her out.

 

“I was just doing a homework assignment out there the other day. I’m really sorry I didn’t call.” Rey pushed past Ben and started up the starts when she felt a strong grip on her wrist. All she wanted was to get up to her room without getting busted with murder evidence in her bag.

 

She turned and looked into the intense eyes of her neighbor.

 

“Did you hear about, Maddie?” he asked in a low tone. Her mother was about to interject when Ben continued. “They found her in the woods, Rey. She narrowly escaped the killer. She’s in the hospital with severe injuries and is currently in a coma.”

 

Rey’s jaw dropped. Maddie was in her English class. The smell of pine invaded her nose. She broke out into a sweat as she ran up the stairs and rushed into the bathroom, breaking into a dry heave.

 

Did she have Maddie’s scarf in her bag? Was that her blood speckled across the fabric? Rey kicked the door shut as she could hear the whispering of her parents and Ben, discussing if they should let Rey visit her schoolmate. She heard bits and pieces of the conversation.

 

She needed to see Maddie. If she woke up, she could identify the killer. Rey thought back to the scent of the scarf. There had to be an explanation. She had to ask Maddie if she could remember him.

 

Rey also needed to find proof that she could cross her neighbor off of the “Suspect” list.

 

A shallow knock pulled her from her thoughts.

 

“Rey sweetie, you feeling okay?” her mother asked. Rey assured her that she was fine, flushing the toilet and opening the door.

 

“I need to see Maddie, Mom. It’s important,” she insisted.

 

Her mother smiled and nodded. “Okay, maybe tomorrow, honey. I think you’ve had enough excitement for one day. If you aren’t feeling well, why don’t you get some rest?”

 

Rey agreed and went to her room. She pulled on a pair of pajamas and locked her door.  Ripping the scarf out of the bag, she searched the accessory for a tag. It looked like it had been ripped off. If she could find out where the killer got it from, maybe she could get an idea of who was buying it.

 

She opened up Google and searched for “fancy blue scarf” and thousands of retailers from Etsy to Lilly Pulitzer popped up. Sighing, Rey narrowed her search down to the mall directory and jotted down a few stores that she could check tomorrow. She also wrote down “pine cologne” and vowed to check that out too.

 

Before falling asleep, Rey texted Rose an apology for bailing on their sleepover. Rose thankfully bought it and she drifted off.

 

———————————

 

“Rey, don’t you know how long I’ve waited to have you?”

 

Rey’s eyes fluttered open to Ben staring right at her. She was at Leia’s and it was her birthday party, just like Rose had promised.

 

Except her friends were nowhere to be found. Just her and Ben. He reached up and cupped her face, tipping her closer to him. Her gaze flickered down to his lips and her breath quickened.

 

“W-what are you doing?”

 

“Haven’t you been kissed before?” he whispered, his lips almost touching hers. She quickly shook her head nervously.

 

“Unless a kiss in the eighth-grade play counts,” she replied, her bottom lip quivering. Rey wanted to run but she also wanted to stay. Her emotions were tangled.

 

“Can I give you a birthday present, sweetheart? I’ve been waiting until you are eighteen.”

 

Rey swallowed and nodded. Closing her eyes, she let Ben Solo pull her into a kiss. It wasn’t gentle. His lips crashed into hers with a neediness that made her feel like she was drowning.

 

She felt a sensation between her thighs and she gasped, permitting him to slip his tongue into her mouth. Rey felt like he was consuming her. She felt something hard pushing against her stomach and fear crept into her as she guessed what it was.

 

Rey tried to back away but Ben only gripped her harder. She whimpered and tugged against him. His stray hand traveled lower, dancing underneath her dress. This was definitely going too far.

 

She pulled back abruptly, breaking the kiss. Ben tugged her back in, placing his forehand on hers. He brushed a stray hair away before gripping the back of her neck. Rey gasped as she was held captive by his dark eyes.

 

“You’re mine now, and I’m not letting go,” he murmured, his other hand cupping between her legs.

 

—————————

 

Rey woke up gasping for air. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. Looking down, she saw the blue scarf laying gently in her lap like it’s purpose wasn’t menacing despite the blood stains.

 

What the hell was that dream about? Her heart raced as she fought down the panic that crept up her throat.

 

Ben would never treat her that way. He was like her brother! Why on earth would she have a dream like that?

 

Rey calmed herself down and ran her fingers through the scarf. She stuffed it in between her mattresses while she got up to prepare for the day. The mall was going to open in a few hours and she would start her search for the scarf and cologne.

 

Throwing on leggings and a sweatshirt, Rey laid the scarf down and tucked in the bloodstained spots to take a decent picture. She locked it away in a trunk in her closet, hiding the key in a nook under her bed.

 

Rey hopped down the stairs to find her parents glued to the TV in the living room. Grabbing a bagel she took a bite before leaning on the couch.

 

“So, how is Maddie doing?” Rey asked.

 

Her mother looked up from the news and shrugged. “As far as I know, she’s still unconscious. Her mother said she’d call me and I’ll bring you to go see her when she’s ready if you like.”

 

“Good, because I really need to talk to her.”

 

“Good heavens, Rey, the poor girl was traumatized. What do you have to talk to her so badly about, chemistry homework?” her mother responded in a dramatic tone.

 

“I just want to make sure she’s okay. I’m heading to the mall a bit! I’ll be back before lunch.”

 

“Is all of your homework done?” her father called.

 

“Yes! See you soon! Call me if you want me to meet you at the hospital.” Rey called out as she walked out into the brisk morning air.

 

Hopping onto her bike, she pedaled down the street and raced to the mall. Rey got there right when it opened and she waltzed into Neiman Marcus.

 

It always cracked her up that people dressed so fancy just to try on clothes they didn’t own. She browsed the aisles of silk blouses and Tory Burch dresses until she got to the scarf section. It was game time. She pulled up the picture of the blue scarf and began her search.

 

Pulling scarves left and right to look for the correct one, Rey huffed in frustration when she ran out of scarves to search. A saleswoman noticed her mini tantrum and walked over in feigned kindness.

 

“Looking for a gift for your mom, sweetie?”

 

The sickly sweet tone annoyed Rey but she needed this woman’s help.

 

“Yes, I’m looking for a blue scarf. Not dark blue, but more of a cerulean blue. Do you have anything like that?”

 

The women looked briefly at the mess of scarves Rey left behind and pursed her lips.

 

“Well, we do have one that might match. Follow me. It’s in a display case. It’s Hermès.”

 

Rey had no idea what the woman was talking about but followed her anyway. As they approached the case, goosebumps crept up her arms. Sitting in the middle of the case was the exact blue scarf that she found in the forest.

 

“Now, Hermès usually does only printed scarves. However, this most recent line they decided to branch out and try solid colors. Let me tell you, it took off. Everyone loves them. Is this the blue one you were looking for?”

 

The woman rambled on and pulled the scarf out of the case, handing it to Rey. She took it from her like it was a kitten that needed to be handled delicately.

 

This was the exact scarf. She was sure of it. She ran the silk through her fingers and nodded to herself. She realized she was being watched so she placed it gently back on the table.

 

“So, how much does a scarf like this cost?” she asked. The woman laughed and flashed her the price tag.

 

“Three-hundred and ninety-five dollars?!” Rey all but shouted. Well, whoever this killer was, he must have money. She made a mental note to add that to her file later. She certainly couldn’t question this woman about a killer buying loads of the same scarf. No, she'd have to pry into that a different way.

 

“I suppose you want to look at something else?” the saleswoman replied.

 

Rey caught her snark and shook her head. “No thanks. Can you point me in the direction of the men’s cologne?”

 

The woman smiled tightly and pointed to the escalator. Rey thanked her and headed down the escalator to be greeted by displays of leather shoes and suits.

 

She approached the cologne counter and got to work, taking a sniff from each of the tester bottles. She was aware how crazy she looked, but this was the only way she was going to know.

 

She approached a dark green bottled labeled “Alderaan” and sniffed. The smell of vanilla and pine invaded her senses. Rey shook as she held it out to examine the bottle.

 

“Looking for a birthday present for me?”

 

A whisper in her ear almost caused her to drop the glass bottle. She clutched it tightly as she faced the voice behind her. It was the same voice from her dream. She laughed and nonchalantly placed the bottle back on the counter.

 

“Nah. Sadly I don’t have that kind of money. I was just looking for the same one that Finn has so I can suggest it to Rose. I think they’re dating now,” she quickly lied.

 

Ben reached past her and shook the green bottle. He sprayed her lightly with it and winked.

 

“Well, I don’t think this would be a good fit for a teenage boy. Maybe look at Burberry. That one would probably be better.”

 

“Why is that?”

 

“Well, you don’t want your friend smelling like me, do you?”

 

Rey’s heart sank. She knew she recognized that smell. She shook her head and laughed, blushing a little. There had to be a misunderstanding. This scent must be popular! She perked up and pointed at him.

 

“So why are you here today?” If he said he was buying scarves, she would pass out. She wanted to inwardly slap herself. This is Ben, for crying out loud!

 

“Oh, picking up some pants. I snagged them the other night so they fixed them,” he said nonchalantly, shrugging.

 

Rey sighed in relief and he cocked up an eyebrow. She needed to get out of here. That smell was overwhelming her and she needed to get out of her clothes and shower.

 

“Gotcha. Well, um, I have to get home. Mom is taking me to see Maddie,” she said, playing with the fringe on her bag.

 

Ben stepped closer to her as if to cage her in.

 

“Ah, I see. That’s a shame for her really. I heard she won’t wake up,” he murmured, his eyes boring into her.

 

She swallowed and licked her lips. “Yeah, I guess we’ll see. Alright, well I see you later Ben!” Rey said as she squirmed by him and high tailed it to the escalator.

 

“Hey, Rey, wait up,” he called after her.

 

Rey just wanted to run, but she held it together as she turned to him.

 

“What’s up?”

 

“Sorry for last night. Your mom was so worried and it slipped out. You know I wouldn’t do anything on purpose to lose your trust, right?”

 

Rey sighed. She wanted to be mad at him, but she knew he was just trying to help.

 

“It’s all good. I know you were looking out for me. I gotta go though, I’ll see you later!” She broke out into a brisk walk and stepped onto the escalator. She could feel him staring at her as she left.

 

Rey was thankful for the harsh wind that distracted her from the fact that she was wearing the scent of a murderer. But not Ben. Ben wouldn’t do those things. Sure, he was quirky, but never a murderer. It was a simple coincidence.

 

She listed all the reasons why he wasn’t the killer on her bike ride home. Her mother was out in the yard raking the leaves. She spotted Rey and dropped the rake, wiping her hands on her pants.

 

“Nothing cool at the mall today? You smell nice!” she said, sniffing Rey’s sweatshirt.

 

Rey shook her head and tried to get to the front door.

 

“Hey, why the rush? Want to go by the hospital to visit Maddie?” her mom asked.

 

“Uh, yeah! Let me change really quick. I don’t like how this sweatshirt looks on me,” she replied, rushing up the stairs.

 

Rey flung the offensive clothing off of her body and onto the floor and replaced it with a T-shirt and her leather jacket.

 

She met her mother at the car and hopped in. Buckling her seatbelt, Rey felt a rush of apprehension. What would she even ask Maddie if she could? Was Ben right that she would never wake up and how was he so sure?

 

About fifteen minutes later, Rey was darting through the halls of the ICU floor of the Lake Lure Memorial Hospital. She pushed past annoyed nurses and grieving families until she found the door for Madeline Greer.

 

Her mother caught up with her and said she was going to get a coffee downstairs. Rey nodded and closed the door behind her and Maddie.

 

The poor girl looked weak and almost like she was giving up. Her pale skin was battered with bruises, a torn lip, and her head was bandaged. Taking a peek at the nurse's notes, Rey read that Maddie was raped, half-strangled, and eventually suffered blunt force trauma to the head. She had escaped and the killer got to her before she could flee.

 

“But you’ll survive, Maddie, I know you will,” she whispered to no one. She gently took her schoolmate’s hand and squeezed. “I wish you could tell me who did this to you.”

 

“R-Rey…”

 

Rey’s eyes flickered up to Maddie to see wide green eyes staring back at her. She brought her other hand to her mouth in a gasp.

 

“Can you help me?” Maddie rasped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. I TRULY LOVE all of the comments.


	7. When you know, you know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie reveals some cryptic news and Rey decides to play “Nancy Wheeler”, I mean “Drew”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sick and delirious so I hope this posts correctly. 
> 
> Thanks to Malevolent Reverie for being an amazing and awesome inspiration to all of the dark fic writers out there! And for checking this chapter over ;)

Rey felt Maddie’s hand tighten against hers as the shock flushed through her body. All sounds were lost. She couldn’t hear the beeping of the monitors, or the sound of the TV in the background. Her eyes glued to Maddie’s, Rey nodded. 

 

“Anything. I’ll do anything. What do you need?” 

 

Maddie’s hand weakly pointed to the water on the table across the bed. Rey let go of her hand long enough to grab the pitcher and a cup, filling it to the brim before offering it to her. Maddie drank from it greedily, her eyes flickering between Rey and the door. 

 

Rey silently pulled up a chair to sit beside her.

 

“No one else is around. My mom is downstairs getting coffee. Do you remember anything?” She inwardly winced at the abruptness of the question but she needed to know. 

 

“I don’t remember much,” she rasped. Maddie pulled herself into a sitting position, moaning in pain from each movement. “I don’t know how I got away. I just remember being in the woods and then I turned around and there he was.”

 

“Who? What did he look like?” Rey urged. 

 

Maddie furrowed her brows and willed herself to remember but she ended up shaking her head furiously with tears streaming down her cheeks.

 

“I’m going to die, Rey. He’s going to find me. Please, get me out of here!” Maddie said, her voice becoming more hysterical with each word. 

 

Rey shot a look at the door and sighed helplessly. “Maddie, you got hurt really bad, you need medical attention. There’s an officer outside your door. You are safe. I promise.” 

 

“No, no, you don’t understand. He’s going to know I talked to you.” 

 

“How? He’s probably more nervous you will remember him. Which, do you? Do you remember what he looked like at all?”

 

“I remember the pine trees.”

 

Rey’s heart sank. She had to be talking about the cologne! She nodded her head for Maddie to continue. Maddie sobbed and shook her head.

 

“He’s gonna know. He’s gonna know. It’s you, it’s all about you.”

 

Rey stood up and took Maddie’s hand.

 

“What do you mean? Maddie, talk to me. Just breathe, okay? You are safe now!”

 

Just then the door opened to reveal the doctor and her mother just outside. Nurses rushed in and pushed Rey out of the way. Maddie’s mother stepped in and stood beside them, slowly edging Rey to the door. She couldn’t get Maddie’s words out of her head as she stared blankly at them working on her while she panicked. 

 

“Rey, come out here sweetie,” her mother urged. She obeyed and turned around, looking at Maddie struggle to sit all the way up. 

 

“Look who I found at the coffee shop!” her mother beamed. 

 

Still distracted, Rey turned to see Ben smirking down at her. Chill ran up and down her body. Why was  _ he  _ here?

 

“Why are you here?” she mimicked her thoughts. 

 

He furrowed his brow as her mother tapped her shoulder.

 

“Rey, you don’t ask people that. That’s rude.”

 

“It’s no worries, Daisy. I’m here to see a coworker that has fallen ill. I see you are here to see your classmate,” he said, his head looking over her to look into Maddie’s room. Rey caught the squint in his eyes before he looked down and winked at her. 

 

Rey was just about to respond when a shrill scream pierced the air. They turned to Maddie who was screaming in their direction. She flashed her eyes at Ben who stared intensely at the hysterical girl. The doctor rushed to the door and muttered an apology about her being disoriented and slammed the door. 

 

“Well, that was strange,” her mother said, clutching her coffee in worry. 

 

Rey felt like she was going to panic. Trapped between her mother and Ben, she felt like she was stuck. Maddie’s voice pounded in her ears.

 

_ “It’s you. It’s all about you.” _

 

She took breaths in and out and each passing minute they became more shallow. 

 

“Rey, are you okay?” 

 

A hand reached out for her. She pulled back and bumped into a nurse behind her. She mumbled an apology. Her eyes shifted to Ben’s as he took a step forward. 

 

“Hey, Maddie’s okay. She’s just have a little bit of a moment,” he said in a reassuring tone. 

 

Rey needed to get away to think. Why was Ben constantly popping up? Could it be yet another coincidence? 

 

“I-I need to go,” she whispered before taking off. She heard her mother shout her name, but it felt like a distant echo. Rey didn’t even know where she was running to, just that she needed to get out of there. 

 

She shoved her way into the stairwell and raced down to the first floor. Her heart pounded in her head and she shrank down onto the staircase, clutching her ears. 

 

Maddie’s voice spoke in time with her heart beat and tears fell freely from her cheeks. What did she mean? Was the killer coming for her next? How would be know they were talking? 

 

“Is it him? Is it Ben?” she whispered to herself through sobs. Why was he here? Why was he everywhere? Rey didn’t know what to think anymore. She heard the upstairs door open in the distance and she curled up towards the hand rail. 

 

“Rey?” 

 

Oh God. Why was he following her here? Her breaths picked up. 

 

“Please. Please l-leave me a alone a second,” she choked out. 

 

Ben ignored her as he approached, taking a seat beside her. She could feel his thigh touch hers and the warmth seeped through her leggings. She thought back to her dream. Rey truly felt like this man was consuming her. 

 

“Rey, maybe it was too early to see Maddie. She’s been through quite a lot and she’s probably not sure what’s going on. You were the first person she saw when she woke up.”

 

“She was trying to tell me something.” 

 

“What did she say?” he asked. 

 

She felt his large hand on her back, rubbing circles gently. She wanted to shrink away, but the sensation felt nice. Rey didn’t want to tell Ben what she really heard. Not when she was so unsure of everything right now.

 

“Nothing really, just muttering something about woods,” she lied. 

 

The circles stopped a moment before continuing. Rey’s eyes flickered toward Ben. He was staring off into the distance  as if contemplating something. He shook his head before shifting his gaze to her, smiling. 

 

“She’s probably just remembering the last thing she saw. Nothing to worry about. Just give her a few days, okay Rey? It will all be fine. Now let’s get back upstairs before your mother worries any longer.”

 

Rey wiped her eyes and nodded. She stood up and lead the way back up to where her mother was standing worriedly by the door. Ben whispered something to her mom while Rey glanced back at the closed door. 

 

She shouldn’t have made a scene. Hopefully, her mother would let her come back again soon. Right now she wanted to get home and go over her notes. She wasn’t ready to cross Ben off just yet. 

 

Once Rey got home, she was thankful her mother let her be. She plopped onto her bed and pulled out her folder of notes. Next, to Ben’s name, she wrote down a few more bullet points. 

 

  * was at the bridge when I was. Coincidence?
  * Same cologne. Coincidence?
  * At the hospital when I was visiting Maddie. Coincidence?



 

She poured over the notes and bit her lip nervously. Could Ben, sweet Ben, be really capable of something like this? Maybe she noticed him around more because she was nervous about everything. Rey wasn’t sure if anything anymore. 

 

She yanked up her iPhone and dialed the number for Neiman Marcus. Waiting through the hold music to speak to a Manager, Rey found the scarf on the Hermès website. 

 

“Thank you for calling Neiman Marcus, this is Effie, how can I help you?”

 

“Um, yes, my boyfriend got me a scarf and I, unfortunately, snagged it on something so I need to return it an exchange it if possible?”

 

“Oh no! Absolutely. Can you please tell me the name on the account and I can check it for you?”

 

“Benjamin Solo.” She blushed at mentioning Ben as her boyfriend. 

 

“Oh, I didn’t know Bennie had a girlfriend now! What’s your name?” 

 

“Uhhh Nancy Wheeler,” she blurted out the name of a Stranger Things character. 

 

If the lady knew, she didn’t say anything. The woman put her on hold and Rey paced her room. After a couple minutes the woman came back on. 

 

“Nancy, I can’t find anything about a scarf on here. Do you know what brand it was?”

 

“Hermès.”

 

“Hmm, he could have ordered it on their website too. Maybe give their customer service a call? I’m sorry I couldn’t be any more help.”

 

“No, that’s fine. I'll do that. Thank you!” She quickly hung the phone and tossed it onto her bed. Well, that was a dead end. In truth, he could’ve gotten that scarf anywhere if he was a killer. 

 

Everywhere was dead ends. Rey felt lost. She felt like she let Maddie down. Turning over, she looked at the notes from what Maddie said.

 

“Rey, honey, Leia is inviting everyone over for a party this weekend. You aren’t doing anything this weekend, are you? No big homework assignments?” her mother called as she opened the door. 

 

Rey shoved her notes together quickly and sat up. “Nope. Nothing planned! What kind of party?” 

 

Rey shuddered when she remembered her dream with Ben at Leia’s house. That kiss and his hands. She blushed and looked down quickly. 

 

“Oh, just a get-together. It starts at noon and will go in through the night. You know how her parties go. Why don’t we go to the mall this week to see if they have any fun dresses? It’s been a while since we had a mother-daughter night.” 

 

“Sure! That’d be great Mom. Could you shut the door on your way out? I’m trying to finish my homework.” 

 

Her mother leaned against the door frame and smiled sadly. 

 

“Okay, honey. Remember to have some fun too. With all this stuff going on, I feel like you’ve been down lately. On edge. Promise me you’ll do something fun tonight. Maybe we can rent a movie?”

 

“That’s perfect, mom. Have Dad pick out the movie! He always picks a good one.”

 

Her mother left her and shut the door behind her. Rey smiled to herself. She was going to use this party to her advantage. 

 

The only way to know if Ben was the killer was to scope out his house. If he was at Leia’s all day, it would be the perfect time for her to sneak in and check things out. She could prove to herself that he wasn’t involved in all of this. 

 

Her family had a fun night watching the latest  _ Mission Impossible  _ movie. Rey almost forgot everything going on for just a moment. 

 

Until Monday morning when it was reported that Maddie had died through the evening, peacefully in her sleep. The police chalked it up to trauma. They regretted not getting information from her sooner. Rey knew otherwise. She had to get into that house. 

 

Rey turned the news off and set down her coffee with tears streaming down her face. She couldn’t help but blame herself. 

 

_ He’ll know I talked to you. _

 

She told Maddie she was safe. Oh, how wrong Rey was. She was tired of losing her friends. She needed to investigate Ben’s house. She had to be sure it wasn’t him. 


	8. Truth Hurts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey goes through with her plan to search her neighbors house and gets more than she bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to Malevolent Reverie for being an awesome beta <3\. If you guys are looking for a phenomenal ABO, go read, “You Burn First”. You will not regret it!!!

The whole week felt like a blur to Rey. She completed three tests and a paper and signed up for the Decathlon team. 

 

Her teachers were somber about Maddie’s death and went easier on the students than their usual heap of pop quizzes and homework. Rey was thankful for less homework, but she too was sad about her classmate’s passing.

 

She was also angry about the situation. She still could not believe it when she saw it on the news. As simple as announcing the weather. 

 

Maddie spoke to her, gave her something to work with, opened up to her. Rey chewed on the idea of telling the police, but she honestly didn’t think it would help. Plus she didn’t want to highlight that Maddie mentioned that the killer knew who Rey was. 

 

She had nightmares every night about a masked man attacking her, dragging her through the woods by her hair. Sometimes it was Ben, sometimes the man didn’t show his face. The studying kept her in her room so her parents never saw the anxiety on her features. 

 

When she wasn’t studying, Rey was figuring out how she was going to get away at Leia’s party and get to Ben’s house. Plan A was to fake sickness. She just had to make sure Ben would stay. That’s where Rose came into play. At the lunch table, she corralled her friend into her scheme. 

 

“Hey Rose, didn’t you say you wanted to be a pharmacist?” she asked in between bites of her sandwich. 

 

“Yeah, I do. Why?”

 

“Well I was hoping to ask a favor from you this weekend.”

 

“Whatcha need?

 

“So Ben’s birthday is coming up and I wanted to put a surprise up in his house. Do you think you could distract him a little bit so I can go to his house and set it up? I just need you to talk pharmacy stuff.”

 

Rose’s eyes lit up as she nodded. “Of course! That’s so cool that you are doing that! What did you get him?”

 

“Oh, like a big sign and then a bunch of his favorite sports team gifts. I really appreciate you helping me with this! I’ll give you two winks when I’m ready and then you go over there and keep him distracted, does that sound good?” 

 

Rose winked twice at her in a teasing manner and they both laughed. Rey felt better about this plan now that her friend was going to help. They spent the rest of the lunch period talking about what they were going to wear to the party. 

 

During her final period at school, English, Rey spent the silent reading time plotting how she would get in and out unnoticed. She knew he didn’t have an alarm or guard dog so squeezing in and out would be easy. The thought of going through Ben’s things made her stomach flip-flop.

 

She didn’t even want to think about what would happen if she  _ did _ find evidence. Would she go to the police immediately? Or confront him? Rey chewed on her pen in worry. 

 

Would he attack her like he did Maddie? Would he—

 

The school bell pulled her from her thoughts before she could even consider it. She sighed in relief and welcomed the distraction. 

 

Rey met Finn by the fountain in the quad. They were waiting in Rose to get out of gym. Finn looked at the ground and kept opening his mouth like he wanted to say something. Rey teasingly punched his arm. 

 

“What’s got you silent? Usually you talk my ear off.”

 

Finn looked around to see if Rose was around before leaning in close to Rey. 

 

“I’m worried about what happened to Maddie Greer.” His brows furrowed. 

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“I don’t think she died silently, Rey. I think the killer finished the job at the hospital. My mom works there as a nurse and she said they are investigating and doing a tox screen to make sure Maddie wasn’t poisoned.”

 

Rey gasped and clapped a hand over her mouth. She fought the bile that threatened to rise in her throat. Her mind went straight to Ben and her mother at the hospital. She was about to respond when Rose waltzed up to them happily. 

 

“Guess what I got on my test? 98! I thought I was going to fail that shit. Why do you both look like your dog ran away?”

 

“I was just telling Rey to be careful. You both need to. You know, with Maddie and all,” he said, wrapping his arm tightly around Rose. 

 

Rey faked a smile and muttered something about needing to get home. Rose winked at her playfully and they both laughed and promised to see each other at Leia’s on Saturday. 

 

Rey made a beeline for her bike with Finn following behind for their daily ride. She unlocked her bike when she lost it in her grip, knocking the bike beside hers to the ground. She quickly tried to pick it up before the owner caught what happened. 

 

“Looks like we’ll need to trade insurance.” 

 

Rey looked up to see Hux teaching out for the bike that had fallen. She blushed and smiled sheepishly at the joke. 

 

“I’m so sorry. I’m distracted. It’s not messed up or anything, right?”

 

“No, no. It’s perfectly fine. You guys heading home?” 

 

“Yeah, Rey and I live in the same neighborhood and with all this stuff going on, you know, just making sure she gets home okay,” Finn responded for her, puffing out his chest. Rey giggled. He was always trying to be the alpha male. 

 

“Oh cool. I live in Carlisle neighborhood just past the bridge.” 

 

“Really? We live in Havenbrook, the next one over! You can ride with us. Is that cool Finn?” Rey said, her voice raising in octave. Finn shot her a look but reluctantly agreed. 

 

All three pedaled at a slower pace to talk and Finn realized that Hux had more in common with their group than he thought. Soon the two guys were talking about football teams and Rey was just staring off at the surroundings. Just as they passed the bridge, she saw a familiar face running the opposite direction. Ben. 

 

He stopped running, his eyes locked in on not Rey, but Hux. He didn’t even wave back when she waved quickly at him as they past. That was weird. Hux’s Dad was also a pharmacist so maybe they just had bad blood or something.

 

They raced home and Rey shot off towards her house, telling the boys she’d see them later. Finn and Hux barely paid attention as she veered off into her driveway. 

 

Rey put her bike up and walked into her living room, scruffing Bailey’s fur before plopping down on the couch. For once she didn’t have homework and she was honestly exhausted from looking over her notes. Besides, her mission to Ben’s house was tomorrow and she’d need all her energy for that. 

 

She spent the evening curled up on the couch and rewatching  _ Stranger Things _ , remembering easier times eating pizza at Ben’s house, not worrying one bit if he was kidnapping and harming the girls of the town. 

 

The next morning, Rey helped her mom clean up until it was time to get ready for Leia’s party. She ran upstairs, showered, and put on a green bell-sleeved dress. She packed her purse with her notes, a pen, and a charger for her phone. She was ready to take pictures if she needed to. She stuffed his key that she stole from the drawer downstairs into her bra. 

 

In truth, Rey was honestly terrified. Not only was she afraid of what she’d find, she was also afraid of being busted. This was technically trespassing! She couldn’t think about that though. She needed to know. For Katie. For Maddie. For everyone. For her own sanity, even. 

 

Straightening her hair and throwing on some lip gloss, she rushed down the stairs and followed her parents out the door. 

 

On the way to Leia’s, she texted Rose to go over the plan again. Rose pinged back that she had a list of questions to go over and she was ready. Rey smiled at her over prepared friend. She didn’t have the heart to tell Rose the truth. She knew that Rose wouldn’t let her go down this road. 

 

They pulled into the driveway and Rey took off into the large backyard to try and find Rose. Spotting her friend by the drinks, she hugged her and grabbed some punch. 

 

Leia was waltzing around in a deep blue gown, saying hello to everyone and telling jokes. Rey never understood why Ben and his mom never got along. Leia was as kind as could be. 

 

Rey noticed Ben coming over with another man to the drinks. She huddled over with Rose, hoping she could avoid conversation with him. That would make this trespassing thing that much harder. He was too busy talking to his friend but she could catch the conversation. 

 

“Yeah, I got this call from Neiman’s the other day that some Nancy Wheeler was calling about a scarf. They were worried that someone was stealing my information.” 

 

Rey’s drink flew out of her mouth and onto Rose. Ben and his friend turned to her as she furiously coughed while trying to wipe off the front of Rose’s dress.

 

“You okay there, Rey? Can’t handle your drink?” he teased, eyebrows raised. 

 

Rey laughed a little too loudly and smacked Rose’s shoulder. “Rose that was such a funny joke, I wasn’t prepared for it.” 

 

Rose looked with wide eyes and started winking. Rey winked back. 

 

“Are you two alright?” the other man asked them. 

 

Rey suddenly clutched her stomach and made a groaning sound. “You know, I’m not feeling great. I think I may go home.”

 

“Do you need me to give you a ride, Rey?” Ben asked, stepping closer to her. She shot a look at Rose who grabbed his arm. 

 

“Uh no! Actually, my parents demanded I talk to you about becoming a pharmacist,” she said, her voice higher in octave. His eyes bore into Rey and she blushed. She needed to get out of there. 

 

“Nah I’m okay, you go ahead and stay!” 

 

He rolled his eyes and smiled back at Rose, who immediately began rambling about her grades.

 

Rey shot off and asked Finn if she could borrow his keys. She held it under the guise that she didn’t feel good. He quickly agreed and gave them to her. 

 

She had never sped before, but today Rey was sure she went 15 miles over the speed limit to get home. She parked the car and tugged her boots off before stepping through Ben’s yard to the back door with bare feet, not wanting to track any dirt or mud into the house. 

 

Her heart pounded in her ears as she unlocked the door and walked into his living room. Memories of watching Netflix with him rang through her mind. Falling asleep on his shoulder, curled up against him. She shook her head and started for the back bedroom. 

 

Rey could tell it was his room because of the pristine navy plaid bedspread and the pine scent that filled the air. She began pulling out drawers, blushing when she came to the drawer full of his boxers. The last drawer had some very awkward porn DVD’s and she quickly shoved that one shut.

 

She opened his closet and checked the floor and top compartments, finding nothing but pressed shirts, pants, and shoes. So far, he was innocent. 

 

Rey crawled on her knees to look under the bed. There she found nothing but dust. She pulled out the nightstand drawer and found it empty except for a key. Curious, she pocketed the key and left the room exactly as it had been. 

 

She went through his vanity in the bathroom and saw tubes of mascara and eyeliner. Must be left over from the girls he had over. She glanced back at the key and looked at all of the rooms. Everything was unlocked except for the door beside the kitchen. 

 

Rey pushed the key in and turned the lock, opening the door to what looked like an old basement. She grabbed the swinging light chain and started descending down the stairs. 

 

Glancing at her iPhone, Rey checked to see if Rose was still talking to Ben. She hoped so. Seeing nothing from her friend,  she continued down to the basement. She turned on the flashlight feature on her phone to get a better look of the room. 

 

What she saw made her want to puke and faint at the same time. She gasped in horror as it felt like cold water was just tossed over her, freezing her to the bone and chilling her soul. 

 

“No, no, no…” she whispered over and over, tears blurring her vision.

 

In the room was a bed with chains hooked to the headboard and foot of the bed, bloodstains on the sheets. She saw a table with different makeup items on it and littered with different tools. At the corner of the room was a bathroom. 

 

With shaking hands, Rey began to take as many pictures as she could. She couldn’t even speak, scream, anything. She just wanted to fall to the floor and cry, but she willed herself to take the photos Rey felt completely shocked. She didn’t want to be right about this. 

 

Ben Solo, her sweet neighbor and close friend, was the Lake Lure serial killer. He had to be. He brought those girls down her to torture and rape them and eventually killed them when he was done, disposing of their bodies like garbage into the creek and lake. 

 

She approached the set of drawers by the bed and yanked them open. Her hand blocked the sob that wanted to escape as the drawers were all filled with perfectly folded silk Hermes’ scarves. 

 

Rey began openly crying as she felt at a complete loss on what to do. She had made her mind up that if he was the killer that she would go straight to the police. Now that she was sitting here on the floor, crying around scarves that were used for awful crimes, Rey didn’t know what the hell she was going to do. 

 

Ben Solo was an upstanding citizen of Lake Lure. Would they even believe her? She knew she got enough pictures but how could she really prove that this was his house? Surely with the number of girls that have fallen victim, they would look into it. 

 

Her throat ached as she swallowed. Rey knew she was coming down with something. She coughed lightly and closed the drawer to the scarves after taking another picture. She took another glance around the room when she heard a car pull up. 

 

Oh shit, was he home? She heard a car door shut as she rushed back up the stairs, almost slamming into the wall opposite of the basement door. Rey shut the door and tiptoed up to the foyer to see Ben’s shadow at the glass of the front door. 

 

Panicked, she raced down the hallway into his bedroom and shut the door behind her before working to get the window open. She slid it open just as she heard Ben shut the front door. She could hear him humming. 

 

The window finally creaked open, loudly. 

 

“Hello?” 

 

She could hear his shout muffled through the door. Quickly, Rey propped herself onto the window sill and fell out the other side, landing hard on her wrist. 

 

She bit the sleeve of her dress to keep from screaming in pain. Crawling to a bush, Rey waited until she heard Ben shut the window before making a run for her house. She hid on the other side of Finn’s car as she heard him walk outside and around his house. 

 

Rey held her wrist tightly to her chest as she shot to the front door after the coast was clear. She opened the door and curled up on the couch as she nursed her arm. Bailey rushed to her side, begging for his ears to be scratched. 

 

The doorbell went off and both Rey and Bailey jumped. It had to be Ben. Did he know? Was he going to attack her now?

 

Oh God, she left the key in the basement door. So, so stupid! 

 

She pretended like no one was there until Ben started knocking on the door. Bailey’s barking drowned out her panicked pants. 

 

“Rey? Are you there?”

 

If she didn’t answer, she’d look more suspicious. She had to play this off. She tried her best to hide the pain in her wrist as she opened the door to him. 

 

Ben smiled at her and leaned on the doorframe. He nudged his chin at her dress.

 

“What happened to you?”

 

Rey looked down and saw a big rip in her dress, a slit from her right thigh to herpanty line. She winced as she covered the rip, her cheeks burning. She hadn’t noticed it before, she should have never opened the damn door!

 

“I must’ve snagged it. Bailey got into the trash can in my parent's room so I was chasing him all around the house. I fell down the stairs. I think I hurt my wrist,” she said quickly, lying through her teeth. 

 

Ben smiled but she knew he wasn’t convinced. He held his hand out for her and she gently placed her wrist in his large grip. 

 

He squeezed it a little too tightly as he inspected it, his eyes flickering down to her exposed leg. She blushed but remained silent. 

 

“Hmm, doesn’t look broken. That must’ve been a pretty bad fall. Did you fall down the entire staircase?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

He remained silent as he dropped her hand. Rey tucked it back into her chest and kept her eyes on the floor. He totally knew. She chewed on her lip, waiting on his response. Should she run? Or scream?

 

“So, my parents should be home any minute,” she blurted out. 

 

Ben huffed out a laugh.

 

“Yeah, I saw them saying their goodbyes as I was leaving. Anyway, I came over to see if maybe you saw anything at my house? I came home to my window open,” he said, his eyes locked into her with each word. He was watching her response, Rey knew it. She had to play this cool.

 

“Nope. Didn’t see anyone. I was busy dealing with my stupid wrist. I’m sorry. Maybe you left it open before you left?” she suggested. 

 

Ben sighed and his eyes lingered on her. “Maybe I did. You’d tell me if you knew something though, right, Rey?”

 

He dipped his head to make sure she was looking at him. She was stone cold busted. She knew it. Rey swallowed before answering him.

 

“Of course, Ben.”

 

“Alright, just making sure. Well, I guess I’ll see you later, then, kiddo. Be easy on your wrist, now.” 

 

Ben reached out and brushed a stray hair from her face, not taking his eyes off of her. 

 

She assured him she would take it easy and closed the door. The minute Rey saw him leave the porch, she rushed to the upstairs bathroom and threw up. She flushed the evidence and crawled into her bed, sobbing. 

 

Rey cried for all of those girls. She cried for bloodstained sheets and the scarves packed neatly, waiting for more victims. She cried at the loss of her friends to her neighbor, a man she trusted. She wanted to burn her notes. She wanted to go back in time and not investigate a thing. She didn’t want to admit that Ben Solo was a rapist and murderer. 

 

Her parents came home with Finn and questioned her ripped dress. She gave them the same story and felt bad when Bailey got put in his crate for the night as punishment. Her cheeks felt hot and flushed and her throat burned. 

 

Rose texted her to ask how the “birthday surprise” went and Rey lied. She didn’t want to tell her friend about the real surprise she found. 

 

“What do I do?” she cried to herself, sniffling in between sobs. Rey felt hot and achy all over. She had to be coming down with something now. 

 

Rey needed to go to the police. She had picture evidence and there’s nothing Ben could do about it now. He wasn’t the same Ben she knew. He was a monster. 

 

Curling up in her bed, Rey cried herself to sleep and dreaded tomorrow when she’d have to tell the police what she found. She just hoped he didn’t hurt anyone else tonight.


	9. Such a Bitter Pill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With her neighbor looming near, it couldn’t have been the worst time for the flu for Rey.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here have another :) 
> 
> Thanks to Malevolent Reverie for all of her help for this chapter. <3
> 
> Trigger Warning: slight noncon. If you can’t handle it do not read. Within the next few chapters, there WILL be noncon so just a warning.

Rey woke up the next morning with a full blown cold. Everything ached. She couldn’t breathe out of her nose and her forehead felt like it was on fire. 

 

She tried to get out of bed, weakly stumbling to the bathroom. Chills took over as she turned on the shower to the hottest setting. Rey shrugged off the ripped green dress from the night before and dumped her dirty clothes into the hamper. 

 

Rey tried to stand in the shower but she slipped down and curled into a ball, the water rushing down her back, steam rising in the bathroom. She broke out into tears as she remembered what she found at Ben’s house. 

 

She had the worst nightmare the night before. This time the masked man was Ben and he dragged her down to the basement. She woke up when the famous blue scarf tugged at her throat, cutting off her air supply as Ben smirked down at her as her life slipped away. It was horrible. 

 

“Rey honey, is everything okay in there?” A knock at the door followed by her mother’s concerned voice. Rey sighed and pulled herself up.

 

“I’m fine, Mom. I don’t feel well. Can you make me some of your sick tea?” she called out. 

 

“Yes, sweetie, just meet me downstairs and I’ll have it ready.”

 

Rey finished up her shower, her body raw from trying to scrub the memories of Ben’s house from yesterday. She walked back to her room and pulled onto the coziest pair of pajamas that she owned. 

 

A hot cup of tea greeted her on the table by the couch. Her father was reading the newspaper in the recliner next to her. Rey picked up the cup and blew on the steaming liquid before gingerly taking a sip. Her eyes flickered to the news. 

 

“It was confirmed this morning that Madison Greer, a young student at Lake Lure High School, died of a misinjection of Potassium Chloride. The Chief of Intensive Care for Mercy River Memorial, Amilyn Holdo, is looking into how something like this could have happened. More on this story, tonight at 6.”

 

Her mother changed the channel to something about ancient Mayan pyramids on the History Channel and Rey finished her tea quietly. She yanked down a blanket from the top of the couch and curled up on the armrest, shivering.

 

Her mother leaned over and placed a hand on her forehead.

 

“My God, sweetie, you are burning up. Did the tea help?”

 

Rey nodded weakly, her eyes slipping shut. The sound of the TV lulled her to sleep.

 

——————————

 

_ “Rey...wake up. I have something to show you.” _

 

_ Rey’s eyes opened slowly and her heart filled with dread. A dim light shined overhead and she knew exactly where she was. The basement. Ben’s basement.  _

 

_ Her eyes shot over to see him dangling a blue scarf above her head. She screamed and shot her arms out to fight him. Ben pressed his lips into a thin line as he gripped her wrists tightly. _

 

_ “Shhh. Stop fighting me. This is your fault. If you had just minded your own little business, this wouldn’t have happened.” _

 

_ “Get away from me. Stop. Ben, please!” She shrieked in pain as he tightly wound her wrists with the scarf. Not wasting any time, Ben tied them to the headboard. Rey yanked at the scarf roughly, but it wouldn’t budge. She was trapped.  _

 

_ “Please. I’m sorry. I won’t say anything!” she said, her voice choking in sobs. Tears fell down her cheeks onto the sheets.  _

 

_ Ben smiled gently as her and wiped her tears with his thumb. He stroked her face lovingly before placing a kiss on her forehead. _

 

_ “I know you won’t say anything, Rey. This will be our little secret, forever,” he whispered, bringing his face closer to hers.  _

 

_ Rey whipped her head away from him and he laughed and pinched her cheek playfully. She clenched her eyes shut as she felt his lips on her neck, trailing down.  _

 

_ She realized she was naked and began to panic.  _

 

_ “Stop, stop, STOP!” _

 

_ Ben ignored her and kissed down the hollow of her chest to her stomach. Rey tried to block it out. He reached lower and lower until she felt something wet against her folds. Rey screamed and tried to sit up— _

 

——————————

 

“Rey, honey what is it?” Her mother burst into her room.

 

Rey’s breath caught and she realized she was back in her room. She sighed in relief and burst into tears. Her mother rushed to her side.

 

“What’s going on? Bad dream?”

 

Rey couldn’t respond and only nodded. Her mother stroked her hair. 

 

“It was just a dream. It must have disoriented you to wake up in your room. You passed out on the couch and I had Ben help me get you up the stairs. He came over to watch the Panther’s game with your Dad!”

 

Ben. Helped her, into her bed. Rey pushed her mother away and raced to the bathroom where she dry heaved and collapsed onto the floor. A cold sweat broke out against her forehead. 

 

She heard pounding up the stairs and her mother stood by the door frame.

 

“She’s really not feeling good. I think we need to take her to Urgent Care, I don’t know what is going on. She was screaming her head off about a bad dream a minute ago.” Rey heard her mother whisper. The scent of pine overwhelmed her as Ben crouched down next to her.

 

Why was he everywhere? Rey pushed herself away from the toilet and Ben. He furrowed his brows, his expression otherwise blank. 

 

“Please get away from me,” she whispered to him. Her mother stepped up to her and placed her hands on her hips.

 

“Rey, that is so incredibly rude. Ben, she must be delirious. I’m so sorry.”

 

Ben reached out and touched her forehead and Rey shuddered. She fought the urge to dry heave again. She wanted so badly to scream that he was the murderer, but she just couldn’t. He sighed and stood up, following her mother out of the room. 

 

Rey pulled herself up and stumbled weakly to her room. She needed to get to her phone. She heard her mother tell Ben ‘goodbye’ at the door. Rey breathed in relief when she saw that the pictures were still there. She didn’t trust Ben in her house. 

 

“Rey? Get down here. I’m getting you to the doctor,” her mother shouted up the stairs. Pulling on a hoodie, she walked down the stairs to the door, phone clutched tightly in her hand. 

 

“I-I need to go to the police,” she said, her voice shaking. Her father put down his newspaper and laughed. 

 

“Honey, you are delirious. You need a doctor, not a cop.”

 

“No, but I really do. Mom, please?”

 

“About what?”

 

“I know something that can help with Maddie’s case. She told me she knew who the killer was.”

 

Her parents exchanged looks and her mother rolled her eyes and opened the door. 

 

“Rey, Finn’s Mom told me that Maddie was highly disoriented. She was telling the nurses that the killer was someone that is very sweet and innocent. She was just making names up. The poor girl lost her mind by that point. What’s important right now is that you get to the doctor so you don’t end up in the hospital.”

 

With a stern look from her mother, Rey obeyed and walked to the car. She pulled herself into the front seat and crouched down. Her mother started the car in silence and took off towards the Urgent Care Center.

 

“Why did you speak to Ben like that, Rey?” Her mother’s voice interrupted her thoughts. She turned and shrugged.

 

“I don’t feel well. I just didn’t want to be near anyone.” Her voice cracked. Every hurt with each speed bump and manhole in the road. Maybe she was delirious. Or maybe that dream was just foreshadowing what would happen to her once Ben got her alone. 

 

Did Maddie tell the cops it was Ben who attacked her? That’s probably why they didn’t believe her. Ben had such a good record in the town, especially with his mother being Leia Organa. She was the town philanthropist. If only she knew the truth about her son. 

 

“Well, next time you see Ben, I think you should apologize. He does a lot for this family.” 

 

Rey nodded as they pulled into the Urgent Care parking lot. The last thing she was going to do is apologize to Ben. In the end he would be apologizing to her and all of those girls and families he hurt. 

 

—————————-

 

After being told she had an abrupt case of the flu, the doctor handed her a mask, a prescription, and a note for school, sending her and her mother on their way. 

 

Her mother flashed worried glances at Rey on the whole ride home, promising to pick up her medicine and make her whatever she wanted for dinner. Rey curled up in the seat, ready to be back home and in her bed. 

 

She settled into her room the minute they got home. She checked her phone again to make sure that the pictures were still there. Just to be safe, Rey emailed them to herself incase someone tampered with her phone. 

 

Rey had her mother double check that the window was locked before she left the room. Shivering from the fever, she fought sleep. Rey did not want to succumb to another terrifying dream. She fought it by playing games on her phone and texting her friends that she wouldn’t be at school for a while. Rose texted her a bunch of hearts and offered to bring her soup. Finn said he would make sure he got her homework for her. 

 

Homework was the last thing on her mind. Rey needed to get to the police. Surely if Ben knew, he probably disassembled his torture room in the basement by now. Would her pictures be enough proof? She also had that bloodied scarf that she found in the woods. 

 

Thinking about what she would say to the police, Rey drifted off to sleep. 

 

——————————

 

That Tuesday afternoon, Rey felt strong enough to walk downstairs. She plopped on the couch with a bowl of soup and fought Bailey’s attempt to eat her lunch. 

 

Scrolling through Netflix, Rey passed  _ Stranger Things  _ without a second glance. She didn’t want to associate with anything that reminded her of the old Ben. The fake Ben. 

 

She settled for  _ Gilmore Girls _ and let herself escape to the small town where the biggest problem was bad takeout and forgotten tests. Suddenly her doorbell rang and she jumped. 

 

Was it Ben? She looked at her phone to see that it was only 3:30 PM. Her parents wouldn’t be home for another hour. Rey followed Bailey to the door and cracked the door open. 

 

Hux waved a couple books and a bag from the bakery down the street. Rey smiled and stepped out into the porch.

 

“Hey! I haven’t seen you in a while, sick one.”

 

Rey laughed and it turned into a disgusting cough. She quickly covered her mouth and blushed.

 

“Yeah, just a touch of flu. No idea where it came from. What’s all this?” She said, pointing to the items he brought. 

 

Rey gestured to the rocking chairs on the porch and they both took a seat. The air was bitter and Rey wished she brought a jacket outside. Hux must’ve noticed because he shrugged off his leather coat and handed it to her.

 

“I don’t know if you want me wearing this. You might get sick too.”

 

“Trust me, that would be completely fine. We have the history exam coming up and I am more than happy to miss it. I brought your homework. Finn gave it to me when I asked if I could take it to you. I hope that is okay.” Hux handed out the books and Rey thumbed through them to check out her assignments. 

 

“Great. More chemistry sets. But this book looks interesting at least!” She joked, holding up a copy of  _ The Great Gatsby.  _

 

“Yeah, I don’t like it that much. It’s about a bunch of rich assholes partying and cheating on their spouses.” 

 

Rey punched him lightly on the arm and wrapped herself more into his jacket. It smelled of cinnamon, a welcome smell to the usual pine. 

 

“Well now you ruined it!”

 

He shrugged and held out the brown bag from the bakery. Rey beamed and opened it to see a chocolate croissant. The warm scent filled her nose and she almost moaned. This was so much better than the tasteless soups and teas she had been eating for the past three days.

 

“Thank you so much, Hux. This is amazing. I appreciate you bringing all of this over. Want to share this with me?” She asked, dangling the pastry. He laughed.

 

“Sure, but I don’t know if I wanted our first date to be eating baked goods on your porch. I’ll take it though.”

 

Rey blushed at the mention of a date. Sure she liked Hux, but enough to date him? She chewed on her lip and then nodded. Why not? 

 

“You can make it up to me on the second date. Deal?” 

 

“Deal.”

 

Rey broke apart the croissant and handed him half. They ate together and talked about everything she missed. Hux told her about the popular gossip in school and joked about how horrible the basketball team was. Rey laughed and almost choked on her treat. Just as her laughter was dying down, she heard steps on the porch. 

 

She turned to see Ben, looking dead ahead at Hux. She almost dropped the books in her lap and swallowed. Leaning against the frame on the porch, Ben crossed his arms. 

 

“Feeling better, Rey? Your mom said you had a fever this morning.”

 

“Uhm—I don’t think so.” 

 

“Your guest may not want to catch what you have,” he responded pointing to her jacket. 

 

His tone wasn’t friendly but almost fatherly. It made Rey even more nervous. She didn’t want Hux to leave. She looked at her friend who was staring at Ben with an eyebrow raised. 

 

“Who is this guy?” he asked her, laughing at Ben.  Rey giggled and waved at Ben.

 

“Oh, it’s just my neighbor, Ben Solo. He’s just trying to look after me. Aren’t you?” She cocked her head at Ben, her eyes daring him to make a move. His lips drew up into a smirk as he approached them both. 

 

“I am. Your parents said to watch for guests, Rey. They don’t want the flu spreading around school. I figured Rose would try to sneak in, but I didn’t even think about boys. Being here. When your parents aren’t home.” He articulated the last sentence. Rey swallowed and shot a sympathetic look at Hux. He smiled at her and took one of her notebooks.

 

“I can take a hint. Wouldn’t want to off the parentals before I get the chance to properly meet them. Here’s my number, Rey. Text when you are feeling better. I’ll see you around! I enjoyed this little date,” he said to her, handing her the notebook back. Rey smiled and held it to her chest. 

 

Hux shuffled around Ben who was watching his every move. He was about to get to the driveway when Ben turned to him. 

 

“Aren’t you forgetting your jacket?”

 

“Nah, Rey can have it. I’ve got more.”

 

Rey smiled as he got back to his bike and waved off to her. She didn’t even notice Ben was still there until she felt her croissant being plucked from her hand. Ben took a bite and handed it back to her with a smile. 

 

“No, you can keep it.”

 

“A date, Rey? Since when did you have boyfriends?”

 

“Since now, I guess,” she huffed. Her parents still had some time before they got home and she just needed to get away from him. She was still too weak to properly run. 

 

They both stared at each other in silence and Rey hugged herself. She wanted to get back into the house. Taking a step back at a time, she walked back towards the door like a person walking slowly away from a tiger about to pounce. 

 

“I think we need to talk, Rey.”

 

She faked a cough loudly and walked more swiftly to the door. 

 

“I can’t. I shouldn’t have been outside. It’s making me worse. I-I have to go. Raincheck?” 

 

She didn’t even give him a chance to respond, slamming the door behind her. Rey locked the deadbolt and prayed he didn’t get his key and chase her inside. She should’ve taken their key back when she was at his house. 

 

Rey heard him huff angrily and stomp back down the stairs of the porch. She dropped her books and slid to the ground, her heart pounded. 

 

She needed this sickness to go away as soon as possible. She needed to go to the police. The predator was about to strike and Rey knew damn well who was the prey in this game. 


	10. Run, little girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still suffering from her cold, Rey has an unwanted guest while her parents are gone.
> 
> Thank you to Malevolent Reverie for being an amazing beta, friend, and inspiration :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: there is mention of non-con in this chapter. Also non-consensual drug use. It’s going to get rough from here on out.

The Lake Lure police department finally agreed to have a town meeting about the murders. Aside from the curfew, they didn’t know any other way to keep the young women of the town safe. 

 

The meeting was for people ages 16 and higher. Rey was itching to go, but her flu was still in full force so she couldn’t attend. Her parents were going and about to be out the door to head to the town hall. 

 

Rey wanted to tell them that their neighbor was the killer. Rey felt that she had enough evidence. Being out of school for this week gave her all the time in the world to compile her case together.

 

The fact that he visited the scene of the crime on multiple occasions, and his aloof manner towards the crimes wouldn’t be enough to push the cops over the edge, but the scarf she found in his home did, along with all of the pictures on her iPhone. Rey dragged herself from the bed and weakly walked to the lock box in the closet where she had been keeping the scarf. Her sweaty hands from the fever made it hard to get the combination on the first try but the box finally popped open. 

 

Rey’s heart sank. Completely empty and no scarf to be found. Her cheeks flushed and a chill rushed down her spine. She couldn’t blame that on the flu. 

 

Where did it go? When would he have gotten the time to search her room? She had been home for the past few days. It was impossible. 

 

Her thoughts flew to the previous Sunday when she fell asleep on the couch. She was just starting to become worse and Ben had carried her up the stairs. He must’ve mumbled some bullshit to her mother and then searched her room while she was sleeping!

 

Rey looked helplessly at the empty box. That’s what she gets for using her birthday as the combination. 

 

“Honey, your father and I are heading out to the town meeting. Rey, what are you doing on the floor?” her mother asked, approaching her while putting her pearls on.

 

“N-Nothing, Mom!” she said, her voice cracking.

She now had no evidence. Tears brimmed Rey’s eyes. She didn’t know what was scarier, her tangible evidence to incriminate Ben was gone, or the fact that he had been in her room and stolen it. 

 

“Alright well, get back to bed, okay? You need rest. We’ll only be gone for a few hours.” 

 

“Can you tell me what they say?” she asked, pleading with her eyes. Her mother laughed gently and pulled the covers up to Rey’s chin before tapping her nose.

 

“Of course, sweetie.” 

 

Her mother left and she could hear Bailey barking as they closed the door behind them. Shivering in her bed, she shouted at the dog to come to her. He clambered up the stairs and hopped onto her bed obediently, his tongue lolling out of his mouth. 

 

Rey clutched his fur as she dozed off. She’d worry about the scarf when she woke up. Right now, she was just too exhausted from the flu to deal with it. 

 

She couldn’t have been asleep for more than 20 minutes when she heard a ‘click’, followed by heavy, but calculated footsteps. 

 

Bailey woke up and growled slowly. Rey shushed him and got out of bed, tiptoeing to the hallway. Her parents wouldn’t be walking so quietly. It was someone else. 

 

Rey willed herself not to panic as she stepped as quietly as she could in the hallway toward the stairs. She pressed herself flush against the wall by the stairs, the dim lighting casting spooky shadows in the hallway.

 

“Rey?” a familiar baritone voice called out. Oh God. It was Ben! She clapped a hand over her mouth and her stomach filled with butterflies and not the good kind.

 

“C’mon Rey, everyone in town can hear your little sniffling. Come on out.” His voice was a bit harsher this time. Rey slowly faced the stairway where she saw him standing halfway up the stairs, his dark eyes locked in on her. There was something more dangerous about him now. 

 

“Why aren’t you in the town meeting?” she asked, her eyes watching his every move. 

 

“Why would I go to that? Sounds boring.” 

 

“Boring? It’s kind of important. You know, the update on the murders and all,” she retorted. Her illness was not making this any easier. Her throat was begging for water. 

 

“Well, I’m not worried about it. Your parents said you were still not feeling well so I wanted to come check on you.” Her eyes flashed to the hand that was moving to his breast pocket. She saw something clear in between his fingers and took a step back. 

 

“I’m fine. You can go,” she said shortly, backing up. 

 

He took a few steps closer and cocked his head. “You sure, Rey? The flu can make you feel somewhat delusional. I have something that will help. I am a pharmacist after all.” 

 

That’s when Rey saw the syringe clearly in his hand. Her heart sank and stepped away, shaking her head. 

 

“No, no, I don’t need that. Get away from me, Ben,” she said, her voice breaking as tears threatened to fall. He stole the scarf from her lockbox and now he was coming for her.

 

“That’s not very nice, Rey. I’m just here to talk and make you feel better. We’re friends aren’t we?” 

 

Rey didn’t respond as she took off back into her room. She could his footsteps pounding quickly behind her. Running back into her room, she slammed the door and locked it. The door jolted as Ben rammed his upper body into the door. 

 

She could hear his breathing quicken and she rushed to her dresser and weakly tried to shove it toward the door. Bailey barked and growled, sniffing angrily at the door.

 

Rey continued dragging the dresser as she heard a gentle laugh. It was a laugh she had never heard from Ben before. It scared the shit out of her. 

 

“Rey, this is silly, sweetie. Open the door. We just need to talk. You’re seventeen. You’re a big girl now. This is nonsense.” 

 

“Then what’s… with… the syringe?” she said breathlessly in between pushing against the dresser. She’d feel safer with more space between her and Ben. 

 

“This is for your illness, darling.” 

 

Scowling at the pet names, she knew that was a lie. Not responding, Rey continue pushing until she felt the dresser reach the door. Bailey was still growling. She heard Ben sigh and walk away. She sighed in relief. Maybe he’d just go away. 

 

Suddenly she heard another jolt at the door before a stream of swearing. She fell to the ground and clutched her dog to her, nails digging into his curly black fur. 

 

“Rey, this isn’t funny. I’m going to tell your parents you are misbehaving. Now open this damn door,” he said in a low tone. She huffed and laughed.

 

“That’s fine! Tell them! I’ll tell them you’re the killer! I’m telling the police tomorrow!” she shouted. She heard that laugh again.

 

“You don’t know what you are talking about, Rey. That’s why I came over to talk. This is all some big misunderstanding.” 

 

“Then why did you have that drawer full of scarves? And the torture room in the basement?” 

 

“I have eclectic adult tastes, Rey. I prefer not to go into them with my seventeen year old neighbor.” 

 

“Those tastes match closely with the blue scarves found on the victims! And what about me running into you twice where a girl was found? I know it’s you, Ben!” she hissed.

 

“You’ve been reading too many Ted Bundy books, Rey.” 

 

“I’m going to the police, you better get out of here and leave me alone.” 

 

“You have no proof.”

 

“I know everything I need to know about you. If I didn’t have any proof then why are you still here? You wouldn’t be here worried at my door!” 

 

“Because you’re ruining my plan!”

 

She heard Ben sigh and kick her door once more. He laughed and leaned against it. So much for him leaving her alone. She hoped he would be spooked and leave town. What plan was he talking about?

 

“The meeting is about the suspect they plan to arrest. So the police won’t listen to anything you have to say,” he said. Rey’s jaw dropped. Who was it? They have the wrong person! She needed to warn them.

 

“Why so quiet, Rey? Out of threats? Good, now let me in.”

 

“No!” Rey stood up and rushed to the window, yanking it up and open. 

 

“What are you going to do? Scream for help? No one is going to hear you.”

 

Silence filled the air as a cold breeze rushed in. This ordeal was making her weaker and she wanted to sleep so bad but not with this murderer outside her bedroom door. She had to get to the police, now. All she had to do was get down the side of the house and get to her bike. 

 

“Do you want to hear about it? What I do to those girls?” 

 

Rey’s breath quickened. Did he just admit it to her? She didn’t dare respond. He continued.

 

“Do you want to hear about what I want to do to you? Oh, Rey, there’s so many things I’m going to do to you. But you’re different than those other girls. Open up and let me show you.” 

 

Tears fell freely as Rey let out a sob. She held onto the window pane for support. She heard Ben stroke the door frame on the other side, his breath heavy. 

 

“Open this door, Rey and I won’t hurt you,” he said gently. 

 

“No. Go away, please. Leave me alone!” she cried out. 

 

He responded with a laugh and jiggled the doorknob. “I won’t hurt your parents if you open this door.” 

 

His threat caused her stomach to fill with dread. She approached the door, her hand reaching to the dresser. Rey hesitated. She couldn’t trust him. He’s killed all of those girls. She thought back to Jessika’s sister. And Maddie. 

 

“If you don’t let me in, I’ll wait until your Dad has one of his business trips, come over when your sweet Mommy is home, and I’ll strangle the life out of her while I make you watch.” 

 

“Why are you doing this to me? Leave me alone!” she screamed in between sobs. Bailey yelped and crawled under her bed. 

 

“I can’t wait to finally have you. I can’t wait until you are screaming my name while my cock fills that tight little body of yours.” 

 

“Stop!” Rey cried harder, her entire body shaking. She felt trapped. How far would he go to get to her? Why did he want her in this way? 

 

“Open. The. Door.” 

 

Rey couldn’t believe this. After all this searching, she would have never guessed that Ben, her confidante, her neighbor would be this person.

 

Rey rushed to the window and screamed for help. She searched frantically for someone, anyone that could help when she saw her parents car coming down the street. 

 

“Mom! Dad! Please! Help me!” she screamed. She paused to see if Ben would leave. 

 

Her parents got out of the car and her mother looked at up at her waving her hands it the window with frantic worry.

 

“Rey, what in the hell!”

 

“Ben is the killer. Please! He’s here!” She screamed. Her parents rushed into the house and she heard them barreling up the stairs. 

 

“Ben, what’s going on here?” her father demanded. 

 

“Mark, Rey isn’t feel well. The flu is making her delusional, I’m afraid. I came over here after I stopped by the town hall to make sure she was okay and she’s convinced I’m a murderer,” he lied. 

 

Rey stood shocked in the center of her room.

 

“Rey, honey?”

 

“He’s lying! He-he said he’s going to kill you, Mom!” 

 

“She’s truly ill. We really need to check her temperature. I worry that it’s really high.” She heard Ben’s hushed tone. 

 

Her mother jiggled the door knob. Fearful for her parents lives, she pushed ferociously at the dresser until it was out of the way and unlocked the door. Her parents rushed in and her mother out a hand to her forehead. While they were worrying over her, Ben looked at her and a small smile crept up his lips. He placed one finger to his mouth, indicating for her to be quiet about their encounter.

 

Fat chance of that. 

 

“Mom, he’s the killer. I snuck into his house and saw the scarves, his torture room. I know it. He did it.” She said, whining, tears free falling down her cheeks. 

 

Her father led her back to her bed and helped her in. Rey fought him, her eyes remaining on Ben. He finally got her into bed and pulled the covers up. 

 

“Rey, this is nonsense. You’ve known Ben forever! Why would he do something like that! Besides, they arrested the guy after the meeting.” 

 

“What? Who was it?”

 

“We’ll tell you tomorrow sweetie—now get some rest. You are just getting confused from your fever, that’s all. Let Ben give you something for your cold, honey,” her mother cooed at her. Her mother whispered to Ben before she followed Rey’s dad downstairs. 

 

Ben turned to Rey. He winked at her and stepped closer into the room and beside her bed. 

 

“I’ll scream so loud,” she said, clenching her teeth. 

 

He laughed softly and reached a hand out to stroke her cheek. Rey flinched at the gesture. 

 

“You and I have so much more to discuss. Remember what I said about your parents, Rey. Think of your parents,” he whispered. Ben reached into his pocket and pulled the syringe back out. Rey shrank away from him.

 

“Don’t touch me with that.”

 

“Didn’t you hear your mom, sweetie? Let me give you something for your cold. Don’t worry, this is minimal compared to what else I’m going to give you during our future together. It’s actually sad that your parents trust me this much.” 

 

Rey almost got off the other side of the bed when she felt the weight of something heavy on top of her. With her stomach to the bed, Rey was pinned from behind with Ben hovered over her, his huge hand holding her arm down. 

 

She tried to scream out for her parents but a hand clapped over her mouth.

 

“Shhhh. Shhhh. Rey, you really need to be more smart about this,” he whispered as he straddled her, sitting on her butt and thighs to pin her down. 

 

She whimpered into his hand as she felt a prick on her arm. Ben pressed the plunger and a pressure filled Rey’s arm. She squirmed as he pulled the syringe out and placed it back in his pocket. 

 

Ben hummed to Rey as he massaged her arm where he had given her the shot. The room started to fade and the humming overwhelmed her senses. 

 

She felt the weight lift from her as Ben rearranged Rey onto the bed, pulling up the covers to her chin. He stroked her cheek gently as he looked down at her. Rey fought to stay awake. 

 

“Just go to sleep, baby. We’ll play more soon. You just hold up your end of the deal and I’ll hold up mine.”

 

With that, everything faded and Rey let herself drift off to sleep. 


	11. It’s all fun and games until somebody loses their mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey finally goes to the police but things take a completely different turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Malevolent Reverie for being an amazing beta and friend! She is truly the queen of darkfics and and an inspiration for all of us to come up with original ideas! She is truly a gem of a person ❤️
> 
> Thanks also to the lovely Kylosgirl9593 for spending a super fun weekend with me and listening to my rants and plans of this story and helping me piece things together! Truly an awesome time ❤️
> 
> Oh, and thanks to Taylor Swift for having fun lyrics that I can use as an iPhone ringtone in this chapter. Go listen to “Wonderland”. It’s “wonderful”. 
> 
> Warning: there is nonconsensual drug use and kidnapping in this chapter. Yes everyone, shit is about to get REAL for our loveable Nancy Drew.

_ “Didn’t they tell us don’t rush into things, _

_ Didn’t you flash your green eyes at me? _

_ Haven’t you heard what becomes of curious minds?  _

 

_ Didn’t it all seem new and exciting? _

_ I felt your arms twisted around me _

_ I should’ve slept with one eye open at night _

 

_ We found Wonderland, you and I got lost in it...” _

 

The abrupt sounds of Rey’s iPhone going off woke her up from a groggy and disoriented sleep. Her eyes were sensitive to the light as she slowly opened them, reaching for her phone. It was Rose.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Rey! Where were you last night? Still sick?”

 

“Yeah. I honestly can’t remember last night. This flu has done a number on me. Did you go?”

 

“Yup! Went with Mom and Paige. Can you believe it about Hux?” 

 

“What about Hux?” she asked, confused. Her brows furrowed as she sat up slowly. Taking a look around her room, everything seemed in order. Bailey at the foot of her bed, her phone under her pillow, the dresser that jutted out beside her door. She thought about why it would’ve moved as she drowned out Rose’s ramblings.

 

“—I just can’t believe Hux would do that. I mean how scary is that, Rey? You almost dated him right! You could’ve been next!”

 

“Next for what?” 

 

“Oh my God, aren’t you listening?” 

 

Chills ran up Rey’s spine. Something was off. Why was her dresser away from the wall? She felt like she was missing a chunk of last night from her memory. 

 

“Hey, Rose. I gotta call you back,” she responded before ending the call. 

 

Rey hopped out of bed and rushed through her door with Bailey quick on her heels. Her mind was working a lot quicker than her body as she stumbled into the hallway. She’s had the flu before and nothing like this had ever happened. She felt practically useless.

 

She walked into the living room in a hurry where she found her mother sitting on the couch with the news on, her father in the corner with the newspaper, like always. 

 

“Good morning sweetie! I made you some of that tea that you like! Dad made waffles. Go fix yourself a plate and then have a seat. We need to talk to you about something.”

 

Good. Maybe they knew what the hell happened last night. Rey nodded and went to the kitchen. She finally felt like she had an appetite today. Checking her temperature, she saw that she didn’t have a fever anymore. 

 

Rey stacked two waffles on her plate and smothered them in blueberries and syrup. She grabbed the plate and her mug of tea and sat on the couch next to her mom. She wasted no time digging in to her sugary breakfast. 

 

“So, honey. Last night was a little crazy,” her mother started. Her dad tipped his newspaper at her and smirked. 

 

“That’s an understatement, Daisy. Rey, sweetie, do you remember last night?”

 

Rey took a big swallow and shook her head. Her parents exchanged glances as her mother pat her knee gently.

 

“Well, we went to the town hall meeting and saw Ben walking out as we were walking in. We sent him to check on you because you were acting strange before we left.” 

 

Rey put her breakfast on the table in front of her and took a deep breath. 

 

_ “You hold up your end of the deal and I’ll hold up mine.” _

 

Bits and pieces rush back to her. Ben creeping up the stairs. Rey locking herself in her room. The pounding of his fists trying to get to her. All those disgusting things he said. She felt like she was going to throw up. 

 

“Ben’s the killer, Mom!” she shouted, standing up quickly. Her mother reached for her arm and tried to pull her back down, but Rey was done with the conversation.

 

“Rey, now stop this!” Her father stood up and tried to prevent her from going back up the stairs. Rey was too quick. She needed her phone. 

 

“He came over last night and told me what he did to those girls. He told me what he was going to do to me!” she screamed frantically as she grabbed her phone off her bed and yanked on a sweatshirt. 

 

“Rey, enough! They’ve arrested someone!” her mother called up the stairs. Rey met them back in the foyer and began tugging on her boots.

 

“They’ve arrested the wrong person. I’ve been in his house Mom, I have proof. I’m going to the police right now!”

 

“What proof?” Her father blocked the door. She furiously went through her phone and pulled up the pictures. Only to find the pictures weren’t there.

 

“No, no, no...where are they? I know I took them,” she whispered in disbelief. Her parents looked over her shoulder to see the latest selfie of her and Rose. 

 

“Rey, honey, you are still ill—“

 

“No! He deleted them! He’s sabotaging me, don’t you see! He made me look crazy last night. You left me in the room with him and he deleted the evidence.” 

 

Rey was red-faced in full hysterics. 

 

“This isn’t funny anymore, Rey. Get back upstairs and go to bed. You will not go around, accusing Ben of such heinous crimes. I won’t have it!” Her father’s voice rose an octave with an angry tone. Rey choked through her sobs and push her mother’s embrace away. 

 

“You  _ left _ me with him. And he drugged me!”

 

“My God, Rey, he said it was a quick-acting medicine to stop your fever. This is ridiculous! They’ve arrested that kid from your school, Armitage Hux!” her mother said, her shout drowning out the TV.

 

Hux. They thought  _ Hux  _ did this? That’s why Rose was saying she couldn’t believe it. Rey’s jaw dropped and her hands shook. Ben didn’t like Hux. That much she could tell when they got busted on the porch the other day. He was sabotaging him too! 

 

“He’s innocent! It’s all Ben, Mom, can’t you see? I have to go to the police. Right now. I have to tell them what I saw!” 

 

Rey pushed past her father and flung the door open. She jumped off the porch and rushed to her bike, her parents screaming after her. She was going to be grounded until college but she didn’t care. 

 

She pedaled as quickly as possible to the main town center, the icy November wind biting her uncovered face. Thanksgiving was next week. 

 

Rey was certain she was getting crazy looks for riding her bike in a “Hello Weekend” sweatshirt and panda pajamas, but she didn’t care. 

 

School was in session so she didn’t have to worry about getting a lecture from her friends. Rey slammed her bike into a slot at the police station and didn’t even bother to lock it. 

 

She pushed through the door so hard that the receptionist stopped her phone call and raised an eyebrow.

 

“I need to speak to a detective. Now,” she said breathlessly. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold wind and her teeth chattered from the chill. She kept glancing at the window behind her. Her parents were probably on their way to collect her and tell her how crazy she was being. 

 

“Alright. I’ll let Detective Kanata know that she has an audience. Wait right here.”

 

Rey nodded enthusiastically and helped herself to a cup of coffee at the side table. She curled her hands around the warm cup and inhaled the bitter scent. If her parents didn’t believe her, she was sure Detective Kanata would. 

 

The old Detective had served the lake town for over 20 years. People often mistook her short features for softness. They were wrong. Detective Maz Kanata was as fierce as they came. 

 

“Miss?” The receptionist broke Rey’s thoughts. She gestured for her to follow. She stepped into an office in the back and the door was shut behind her. Detective Kanata’s eyes were glued to her computer screen.

 

“Good morning. Have a seat. Let me send this email and then we’ll get started. I’m just checking in on one of my undercover agents.”

 

Rey smiled and took a seat, sipping her coffee quietly as she admired the pictures and newspaper clippings hung up around the room. It smelled as any other old building would smell, like mold and Cheez-its. 

 

“Tammy, my receptionist received a call from your parents that you would be coming. Want to tell me about it?”

 

Rey huffed, fuming. Everyone was sabotaging her left and right! 

 

“Detective Kanata—“

 

“Call me Maz.”

 

“Uhm—Maz, I know that Ben Solo is the killer. I found a scarf in the woods and then I snuck into his house and saw a torture room in his basement! I also saw him at the scene of the crime, multiple times. Last night, he confessed it to me!”

 

Maz took off her glasses and gazed right at Rey.

 

“Okay, so, besides the fact that you tampered with evidence and trespassed into your neighbor’s home, show me what you’ve got.”

 

Rey wrung her hands.

 

“I don’t have the scarf or pictures anymore. He must’ve taken the scarf and deleted the pictures from my phone. He’s found ways into my house over the last few days.”

 

Maz sighed and leaned back in her chair, placing her hands in a temple. This wasn’t going well.

 

“Rey, let me tell you how serious this accusation is. It could ruin Mr. Solo’s reputation. He’s one of the most notable pharmacists in town. What’s really going on here?”

 

“I’m telling the truth!” Rey was getting irritated now.

 

“You have no evidence.”

 

“What about him being at the crime scene?” 

 

“Everyone’s been to the crime scene, it’s a major running trail.”

 

“What about the fact that he was in my house last night and what he told me! He confessed to killing those girls. He said I was next!” Tears were streaming down her cheeks. Maz handed her a tissue and shrugged.

 

“Rey, your parents told me that you have been very sick. Are you sure that last night wasn’t some elaborate dream?” 

 

Rey growled in frustration and stood up, towering over the older woman sitting across from her.

 

“No. It wasn’t. He told me I was next. I can’t believe you won’t listen to me! Hux is my friend. He’d never do this!”

 

“Miss Niima, you need to calm down this instant. Sit and listen because I’m only going to tell you this once; your friend’s DNA was found on several of the victim’s remains when they were being autopsied. I truly believe that you are having some sort of episode from your sickness.”

 

Rey just sat in silence and sniffled. Ben had framed Hux. This woman wouldn’t believe her. Her parents wouldn’t believe her. Who would?

 

“Now, I’m going to forget the fact that you’ve kept evidence, as well as trespassed into someone’s home. But you have to promise me you will leave this alone. Ben Solo has nothing to do with this crime and I will personally see to it that you are punished if you go around damaging another citizens name, do you hear me?”

 

Rey nodded and sniffled. Maz reached out and patted her arm. Rey jerked away and crossed her arms. She didn’t care if she looked like a brat. She felt completely betrayed by everyone. She loathed Ben for stealing all of her evidence and making her look like a fool. 

 

“Do you want me to give you a ride home? It’s a bit chilly out there and you sound like you are still a little stopped up,” Maz asked gently. Rey shook her head and stood up. 

 

The detective walked her to the door and ushered her out into the cold. Rey stood at her bike wordlessly as everything sank in.

 

Hux, the guy she actually started to genuinely like, was being framed for a crime he didn’t commit.

 

Ben, her neighbor, who admitted the crimes and even told her what he was planning to do with her, was getting off free on this.

 

What kind of town was this?

 

Rey got onto her bike and pedaled home in a daze. She had to get out of town. Ben said he wanted her next. She shuddered at the thought. She wanted to know why. 

 

Did he just get off on killing women? Was there something he was after? The curiosity in her wanted to know. The other half of her wanted to run far, far, away from him and his twisted mind. 

 

Rey pulled out in front of a black Honda, getting a ‘beep’ from the driver. She waved apologetically and got back to her thoughts. 

 

Maybe she could tell her parents that she needed to stay with her grandparents in Chapel Hill for a while. She could do her school work remotely. That’s what she needed to do. Then Ben would maybe just forget about it and move on.

 

He couldn’t kill anymore now that poor Hux was arrested for crimes he didn’t commit. Maybe he would just go to another town and find someone else to frame. 

 

Rey furrowed her brows at the car behind her. It sounded awfully loud and close to her. She turned quickly to see the same black Honda following her. She couldn’t see the driver. 

 

Assuming it was a passive aggressive driver, Rey took a quick turn without signaling. Sure enough, the Honda turned too. She was definitely being followed. 

 

She pedaled faster and made her way to the bridge. The car sped up and Rey screamed. What the hell? Were they trying to kill her?

 

She almost made it to the bridge when she looked behind her and made her biggest mistake. The bike hit the curb and Rey sprung off the bike and landed roughly near the side of the bridge. A few more feet and she would have gone off the side of the bridge and into the water. 

 

Rey groaned and whimpered as she raised a hand to her head. She was bleeding. She felt dizzy and nauseous. She tried to sit up slowly but her head was pounding. The sound of a car door slamming and shoes hitting the ground got her attention. 

 

She weakly turned her gaze to the owner of the black Honda; Ben Solo. He was rushing over to her, swearing under his breath. 

 

“Get away from me!” she yelled. She tried squirming away from him as he approached. Her leg was skinned up and stung with each movement. He stopped a couple feet from her and bent down with his hands out facing her. 

 

“Rey, calm down. You’ve taken a pretty bad fall.”

 

“Yeah, because you chased me off the road! You tried to kill me!”

 

Ben huffed in frustration and got closer to her. Rey shoved him and started beating at him with her fists. She needed to get away from him. Why was he chasing her down? Is he coming in for the kill now?

 

“I’m sorry sweetie, I was trying to get your attention. I saw you coming from the police station.”

 

“How convenient, at the drop point of your many victims. Oh, excuse me, Hux’s victims.”

 

“It is a shame about him isn’t it? Weren’t the two of you close?” he replied, crawling to where he was almost on top of her. 

 

“Help! Somebody please!” she called out. Ben growled and slapped a hand over her mouth.

 

“You know, you aren’t really holding up your end of the deal, Rey.” 

 

She muffled screams over Ben’s large hand. He touched the wound on her head and she winced. 

 

“It looks like you might have a little blow to the head, but no broken bones…” he said to himself distractedly. Rey’s breathing picked up as she saw another syringe in his hand. 

 

She started screaming and thrashing as much as she could. Ben grabbed her wrists and shoved her into the ground causing her head to spin and throb. He shushed her gently while he held her down.

 

“Hush, sweetie. Please, I don’t want to hurt you. This is almost over soon. Just a little prick.” He promised her. What was going to be over? Was he just going to kill her here? 

 

She fought him as the syringe plunged into her leg. Ben emptied the contents with his eyes locked on hers. Her breaths were panicked and she began trembling.

 

Please let someone walk up and see this, please. Where was everyone? Surely there were more people around at 10 AM on a Thursday!

 

The medicine worked quickly just like last time and she felt like she was lying on a heap of clouds, completely high. 

 

She felt weightless as he picked her up. Rey whimpered as the scent of pine overwhelmed her nose. He held her close to his broad chest. She could hear his quick heartbeat. 

 

“Shhh, I’ve got you. We’ll clean you up when we get home.”

 

Home? Was he taking her home? Thank God. She sighed as he placed her gently into the front seat of his car. Smooth jazz played on the radio, almost putting her to sleep. She watched lazily as he picked up her bike.

 

She closed her eyes, ready to be back home in her bed with Bailey at her feet. He slammed the trunk shut and got into the driver seat. Since when did he have a Honda? Rey always remembered the 4Runner. He threw the car in reverse. 

 

“You almost got us caught back there, Rey. Very naughty. I’ll have to think of a punishment for you later.” 

 

She whined in response, closing her eyes. She felt a hand reach over and fuss with her clothes. She opened her eyes and tried to swat him away. 

 

“Where’s your phone, sweetie?”

 

It was in her bra but she wasn’t about to tell him.

 

“I don’t know. I must’ve dropped it,” she mumbled with her eyes closed. 

 

Just then a vibration gave her away. Ben sighed and huffed a laugh. He waited until they reached a stop light to make his move. 

 

She felt his hands drift under her sweatshirt and creep up her stomach to her bra. He felt around a moment with Rey clutching his wrist until he found the device. Her breath hitched as he slowly pulled her phone, his hand lingering on the swell of her breasts. 

 

“So perfect,” she heard him whisper as he pulled the phone out and tucked it swiftly in lap. Tears pricked her eyes and she squeezed them shut. She felt disgusted.

 

With blurry eyes, she opened them to see that they were actually heading out of town rather than to their street. They were going home, but not to a home she knew.

 

A hand stroked her cheek and wiped her tears. She sniffled as her body betrayed her. Rey wanted to open the door and just fall out of the car. But her head was throbbing and she could barely move. She didn’t know what the hell he gave her but it packed a punch. 

 

To the sound of his humming and the gentle strokes on her thigh, Rey let the darkness overtake her. 


	12. Possession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey realizes the situation is going to require a lot more than an escape window and Ben has her right where he wants her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, this took a minute to get out. 
> 
> Thanks to Malevolent Reverie for being the wonderful beta that she is and cranking out phenomenal content faster than I can eat skittles. 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: noncon touching and showering. You’ve been warned. It’s only going to get more intense with noncon content from here.

Rey felt dazed as she was lifted from the car. Her eyes fluttered open to a vast forest around them. Were they even near town?

 

She closed her eyes again to the sound of his heartbeat.

 

Her eyes opened again to the sound of rushing water. She shivered as she was leaning against a garden style bathtub. Her head throbbed at the bright light and she moaned. Ben turned to her at the sound.

 

“Look who’s come back to the real world.”

 

She groaned and placed a hand on her forehead. Rey felt what was probably dried blood and whimpered. Ben pulled her hand away, replacing it with a damp washcloth. She winced and tried to move away. The movement just made her more dizzy.

 

“It’s alright. I’m just cleaning you up a little bit so you can get settled into your new home.”

 

New home? Would she ever see her real home again?

 

Tears welled in her eyes as he finished cleaning the wound on her head. He mumbled something about cleaning it in the shower. If he thought she could stand on her own and shower, he was crazy. Everything ached and Rey felt dizzy with each move she made.

 

Ben leaned over her to check the temperature of the water before turning his attention back to her.

 

He stood up and began shedding his clothes, to Rey’s horror. Her lower lip trembled as she shook her head.

 

“P-please Ben. No-“

 

“Hush, sweet dove, I just don’t want to get my clothes all wet,” he said gently. In just his red plaid boxers, Ben knelt back down to her level. His fingers gripped the hem of her sweatshirt and he slowly started yanking it up.

 

Rey weakly grabbed the fabric, trying to force it down.

 

“Rey, stop fussing. I already told you that you need a shower.”

 

“You didn’t just shower those girls,” she retorted. Ben sighed in frustration and ripped the sweatshirt over her head, leaving her in just a tank top and bra.

 

“Don’t start that. I already told you the other night that you’re different,” he growled. He moved next to her tank top, pulling that off before she could grab it. Rey tried to cover herself with her arms.

 

Ben picked her up and leaned her against the wall as he yanked down her pajama pants. Rey trembled and choked out a sob.

 

“You’re being really dramatic about this.”

 

“I don’t trust you. Not anymore,” she said between sniffles. Ben scowled and unclasped her bra, garnering more cries. He tugged her panties down without another word and turned her towards the shower.

 

Pulling Rey into a bear hug from behind, Ben helped herinto the shower. The warm water rushed down her body, drowning out her cries.

 

“Please, Ben, please. I want to go home. I won’t tell anyone.”

 

He didn’t respond and just turned her towards him to lean against his chest as he washed her. Rey felt strong enough to stand on her own. She looked at the smooth tile in front of her as he cleaned her body with soap that smelled of pine.

 

She felt his hands all over her as she clutched his forearms tightly. They grazed over her neck, her arms, and her stomach, covering her with lathered soap. Rey almost let herself fall asleep against him until she felt his fingers brush across her bare nipples.

 

She shuddered at his touch and she felt it between her legs. Rey had never been touched there before. Her heart sank at the thought that Ben, her now kidnapper, was the first one to give her the experience.

 

He lingered on her breasts and squeezed lightly.

 

“S-stop,” she gasped, fresh tears brimming her eyelids. Ben sighed and hurriedly washed her chest.

 

“Just cleaning you, sweetie. Don’t worry, we’ll get better acquainted before we do more,” he murmured. He finished her top half and knelt down in front of her. Rey placed her trembling hands on his shoulder to keep steady.

 

This was so embarrassing. She had never been washed before and she wanted to melt into the floor and disappear. She was afraid by what he said. Rey didn’t want to get better acquainted with _anything_ he had in mind. Her thoughts flashed to Maddie, all battered and beaten in the hospital.

 

Rey wanted to go home. She wanted to curl up to a good book with her mom’s sick tea while her dad watched the news. She wanted to wake up next to Bailey on Saturday mornings with nowhere to go. Hell, she’d even take a hundred chemistry problem sets or history papers at this point.

 

Ben’s hands rubbing over her butt pulled her from her happy place. She looked down to see him at eye level with her stomach. Thank God he wasn’t eye level with something else. Rey shuddered to think what he would do if he was that close to such a vulnerable place.

 

He handed her the washcloth and stood back up, his eyes on her.

 

“Wash yourself,” he said. Rey’s scrunched her nose in confusion and realized he was giving her the mercy of not touching her _there._ Yet. She nodded and turned away from him as she scrubbed herself.

 

As Rey rinsed the soap from her body, Ben wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her shoulder.

 

“I’ve waited so long to touch you, to feel you, like this.” His hand drifted to her lower stomach and she tightened her muscles. _Please don’t go lower, please don’t go lower._

 

“I’m done. Can we get out?” she said quickly. Ben reached over and turned the water off. He stepped out first and grabbed a towel for her. She wasted no time in wrapping it around herself. He laughed and shook his head.

 

“You do know I used to babysit you when you were younger and I would help you change into a nightgown, right? It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

 

“That was different and you know it!” she barked. Ben clenched his jaw and wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into the adjoining bedroom.

 

Rey followed and took a good look at her surroundings. They definitely weren’t at his house.

 

“Where is this place?” she asked while walking around the room, noting the window. Ben was busy rummaging through a set of drawers.

 

“This is my home away from home. My cabin. Well, it’s really my mom’s but she gave the deed to me years ago. I like it here more, so this is where I’m going to keep you until the next stage of the plan,” he said as he tossed a pair of pajamas onto the bed.

 

They were black satin with lace on the edges. Rey looked at them in disgust.

 

“No one else has worn those, Rey. I bought them especially for you.”

 

“I’m not wearing anything you bought for me. I want to go home!” She stomped her foot for emphasis. Ben smirked and shrugged.

 

“Fine. Sleep naked if you want. You aren’t going home. Not until you’re ready.”

 

“Ready for what? What’s this plan you keep talking about, Ben?!” she asked, pleading. As he walked closer to her, Rey stepped backward until her back met the wall. He stroked her cheek and she turned away from him. His hand stopped the movement, gripping her chin roughly.

 

“You’ll go home when you accept that you are mine. You always have been.”

 

Rey grabbed his wrist and dug her nails in. Ben grunted and released her jaw. She attempted to shove him away. He snatched her towel from her as he started walking away, leaving her naked and shivering.

 

“I will never accept anything. You’re a monster,” she hissed as he approached the doorway. He turned and shifted his jaw and narrowed his eyes at her.

 

“We’ll see. Now get changed.”

 

Rey crossed her arms over her chest and sniffled. She could feel Ben’s eyes roaming every inch of her body.

 

“I’ll be downstairs fixing dinner. Don’t think about escaping. There are cameras everywhere.”

 

Ben abruptly shut the door behind him, leaving Rey crying against the wall. She fell to the floor and sobbed freely.

 

She cried as she crawled into the bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. The comforter was a soft faux fur which was usually her favorite, but it was now just another reminder of how closely Ben was watching her, waiting to strike at the right moment.

 

Rey cried until she couldn’t anymore. She didn’t care if he could hear her or not. Her wails turned to moans and sighs as she held the blanket tightly.

 

She had to think through this. There had to be a way. She just needed to figure this out. Rey found out who the killer was, now she would figure out how to escape him.

 

He was unstable. That much was certain. She thought back to how his emotions switched from gentle to frustrated in a matter of seconds. He touched her lovingly before ripping off her towel.

 

How would she get out here? Her eyes studied the room as if something would cause the lightbulb to go off in her mind. She glanced at the lacy satin pajama set he left her on the bed and then it hit her.

 

The faux fur blanket, the pajamas, this room. It contained a bookshelf full of her old favorites, plus some new ones she had on her wish list. He bought those things for her because he must truly believe that she was going to accept _this._ Accept and love _him._

 

The thought made her want to barf. Swallowing down bile, Rey knew what she had to do.

 

She was going to have to trick him into thinking that she had accepted the situation. She had to make it believable in order for him to drop his guard long enough for her to find a way to escape.

 

Rey forced herself to take deep breaths as she slowly put on the pajamas he laid out for her. The smooth and flimsy fabric reminded her that she was going to have to be somewhat romantic with him.

 

How far would he go? Would she have to kiss him? _Touch_ him? Would they…?

 

She didn’t finish the thought as she put on the pants. The fabric barely left anything to the imagination, but that was probably his goal all along, she thought bitterly.

 

Rey slowly turned the doorknob and glanced down the vast hallway to the staircase. The plush carpet felt good on her feet as she padded down the stairs.

 

Ben sat lazily on the couch, his arm thrown over the side. He looked up at her and a smile spread across his lips as he nodded approvingly at her.

 

“Glad to see someone is seeing things my way.”

 

Rey didn’t respond as she walked timidly to the edge of the couch.

 

“May I have some water?”

 

Ben got up quickly and rushed to the kitchen. He returned with a glass of water and a plate with a couple slices of pizza.

 

“I made your favorite,” he said as he handed the items to her. She whispered a ‘thank you’. He ushered her over to the couch where he had been previously sitting.

 

She sat slowly and took a small bite of her pizza. Her memories dug up moments from them watching _Stranger Things_ and her falling asleep on him. Oh, if she had only known then. Ben sat next to her on the couch and wrapped an arm around her.

 

He watched her every move as she ate in silence. She fought the urge to move away every time he rubbed her back.

 

Rey kept her eyes glued to the TV in front of them, getting lost in a Hallmark Christmas movie. Usually, she loved those movies, always predicting the ending with Rose.

 

When she finished her pizza, she put the plate on the coffee table.

 

“Sit back, sweetie. You can relax with me,” Ben said as he pulled her back to lay against him. She let him maneuver her so that she rested her head on a pillow in his lap.

 

The next movie was just getting started with cheery Christmas music and snowy roads. Rey willed herself to take deep breaths. She could do this.

 

Ben played with her hair for a moment before leaning down to kiss her cheek.

 

“I’m so happy you came down for me,” he whispered, his breath hot in her ear. She faked a smile and kept her eyes on the TV.

 

Throughout the movie, Ben’s hand teased the hem of her tank top. Goosebumps popped up on Rey’s skin where he touched her but she didn’t move a muscle. She had to keep playing along.

 

His hand crept higher and higher until he was touching just underneath her breast. Her cheeks flushed, but she let him continue. She felt him try to go higher like before when she shot up.

 

“Can I go to bed now?”

 

Ben pursed his lips and drew his hand back down to her hip.

 

“We were just beginning to get to know each other better…” he said softly, almost in a complaining tone.

 

“I’m sorry. I promise that we can… uhm… later. I’m just really tired and trying to get used to all of this.”

 

He leaned back as Rey stood up.

 

“Fair enough, baby. Can I at least get a good night kiss?”

 

Rey resisted the urge to roll her eyes and nodded. She leaned over him and brought her lips slowly to his. Ben closed the distance, his hand gripping the back of her neck, just like the dream she had of their first kiss.

 

His lips were soft and warm and if this were any other person or circumstance, Rey could see herself getting weak at the knees. Now, she just wanted to throw up.

 

His tongue prodded against her lips, fighting for an entrance. Rey squeaked and tried to pull back. Her struggle allowed for his tongue to slip in, tasting her. He groaned as he pulled her into his lap.

 

Rey wanted to run. But she couldn’t. She had to play into this to win. Soon after his tongue explored hers, he released her, both gasping for air.

 

She sat frozen on his lap as something hard was pushing against her, between her legs. She knew exactly what _that_ was and they were not going down that road if she could help it. Rey squirmed off of him and straightened her pajamas.

 

“Uh, good night,” she said quickly before dashing up the stairs. Rey heard his laugh as she breathlessly closed the bedroom door.

 

She could do this. _She could do this._


	13. Good Girl, C’mon, take a ticket...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey finds out that her plan to play a game with her kidnapper backfires in the worst of ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m drunk on Manischewitz and eating Ben and Jerry’s, have anotha chapter. 
> 
> Thank you to Malevolent Reverie for being a phenomenal friend and beta ;) 
> 
>  
> 
> BIG TIME TRIGGER WARNING: SERIOUS DUB-CON AND SORTA NONCON SO YOU’VE BEEN WARNED. DON’T COME TO ME WITH YOUR TOMFOOLERY.
> 
> SHIT GET REALS SO BUCKLE UP KIDS.

“Hey sweetie, I have to go to work now and then go to your parent's house.” A whisper woke Rey from her slumber. She opened her eyes to see Ben inches from her face. 

 

He was dressed in a suit and had a peacoat on. She slowly sat up, tucking her feet under her. He sat back and watched her. 

 

“My parents?”

 

“Yes. You obviously didn’t come home last night so they will want to ask if I’ve seen you. I have to keep up appearances until we are ready to execute the next step of the plan,” He said matter-of-factly. Rey furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

 

“Next step?”

 

“Yes. I’ll keep you here for another year so we can get to know each other, just you and me. Once you turn 18, we’ll fabricate a story that I found you. Then you can come back home with me to live beside your parents. We’ll tell them that you are fragile and I’ll need to watch over you. Then soon after, we’ll announce to them that we are engaged.” 

 

Her heart sank. She had been gone for less than 24 hours and all she wanted was her family and friends.

 

If she played along with this forever, she would never be free of him. When she escaped, it’d have to be a good plan. Just a little longer. 

 

Rey ached thinking about her parents and how worried they must be. How upset they must be. She wished she could at least talk to them. The last thing she said to them was that they didn’t believe her as she rushed out the door. She wished she had listened to her father and went to her room. Perhaps she wouldn’t be here now. 

 

“I wish I could talk to my parents,” She mumbled, her fingers fiddling with the fur on the comforter. 

 

“You will baby. Just be a good girl for me and you will. You know I don’t want to hurt you, right?” He said, stroking her cheek. He played with the thin strap of her tank top, his fingers brushing her shoulder. 

 

Rey nodded and looked away from him. Ben stroked her cheek lovingly and kissed her forehead. 

 

“Well, with that being said, I’m locking you in for the day. I have an alarm on my phone anytime you open any doors or windows, so I’ll know. You won’t get far in these woods, Rey and it’s too cold to go running off. I’ll find you. So, will you be good and stay here? I’ll bring home something good for us to eat after the search.” 

 

She swallowed and nodded once more. The thought of him pretending to search with her parents, friends, and the rest of the town, made her want to throw up.

 

Ben winked and walked out of the room, promising he’d be home soon. Rey watched him leave. 

 

She got up immediately and ran to the door. She played with the lock and took a deep breath. Could he really catch her? 

 

Even if she could run, he was right. She had no fucking clue where she was. Rey kicked the door in frustration and slid down the frame to the floor. 

 

She let the tears fall as she realized how screwed she was. He was obsessed with her and had this fantasy that they would be together. Why her? There had to be much more beautiful women out there than a tiseventeen-year-old.

 

Rey just didn’t understand. She didn’t know what she was going to do. She sure as hell wasn't going to play this game forever. But unfortunately, she knew she had to play it long enough. 

 

How would he pull this off? Surely her parents would see that he’s not spending the nights at home? Rey hoped they would figure it out, for her sake. 

 

Until then, she had to keep up the sham, hoping he wouldn’t get to the point where he wanted to go to home base. Rey refused to lose her virginity to a kidnapper.

 

She needed to find her phone. Rey pulled herself up and began exploring the house. She went through room by room and found nothing but bedrooms and an office. 

 

No phone. No torture room. Nothing. Just a standard mountain cabin with plaid everywhere and fur blankets. She even searched his room, which was vastly nicer than where she slept. The master bed was huge. She hoped it never got to the point where she’d have to sleep on it. 

 

Rey groaned at the lack of results and pulled open the fridge in the kitchen. A bowl of fruit was wrapped neatly in the front with her name on it. 

 

She opened the container and smelled it to see if Ben could’ve laced it with something. Feeling confident that it was fine, Rey took a few bites of watermelon before putting the bowl away.

 

She went back to her room and pulled out a book,  _ The Secret Garden.  _ It was a childhood favorite. She smiled to herself and plopped on the bed. 

 

In between naps and reading, the day went by really quickly. Rey turned on the TV for the evening news, checking to see if she had made the news yet or not with her disappearance. Just as the anchor droned about plummeting stock prices for Netflix, the front door opened. 

 

“Rey?” Ben called out. Rey walked quietly to the kitchen where he was unloading a few bags and some takeout boxes. 

 

He smiled at her when she approached the countertop. Rey couldn’t get over how strange this was. Just two months ago, they were eating pizza and sharing sugar.

 

“I got us some dinner. You like Chicken Parmigiana right?” He asked as he unloaded beer and wine into the fridge. She nodded in silence, taking in the delicious smell of dinner. 

 

“Why so quiet? Usually yo,u’re all talk around me,” He said, cocking his head at her. He was kidding, right?

 

“I’m just hungry.” She said quietly, peeking into the takeout bag. He smirked and grabbed a plate from the cabinet. 

 

“Here, go ahead and help yourself, sweetie. Have a seat at the table, I’ll be there in a minute.”

 

Rey took the plate and pulled out the tray, chicken and marinara sauce attacking her senses. She took a fork and put a large heap of chicken on her plate, receiving a surprised look from Ben. 

 

She took a seat at the table and ate in silence until Ben took a seat beside her. 

 

“Isn’t this nice?” He said, smiling at her while he twirled pasta into his fork. He took a large bite and winked at her. Rey shrugged and took another bite of her chicken. She was in the middle of chewing when she felt a hand on her leg.

 

Ben winked at her and shoveled more chicken into his mouth. Rey wished she had searched for something less revealing to wear during her phone search. 

 

“Where is my phone?” She asked as she subtly scooted her chair over a bit. Ben laughed and shook his head.

 

“So, that’s what’s you were snooping around for today.” Ah, so he was looking at the cameras all day. Rey bit her lip.

 

“I’m sorry. I just really miss everyone.”

 

“I understand. It’s an adjustment, but it’s only for a little bit, baby, you’ll see. I’ve got your phone turned off and hidden for now, so don’t worry about it.”

 

“How are my parents?”

 

“They are fine. Very worried and upset. The police are at your house now, getting the details. The rumor is that you ran away because you were angry. Maz is thinking that you might be disgruntled and on the way to your grandma’s.”

 

“I told Maz that I thought you were the killer.”

 

“So she told me. In front of my mother, no doubt. Don’t worry, no one believed you to begin with. I told your parents, with the police present, that my house has suffered a major leak, so I’ll have to renovate the entire basement. Could take up to a year. So my absence is spoken for.”

 

Anger flushed through Rey and the urge to throw her pasta at her kidnapper was very strong. He completely sabotaged her credibility and gave himself a fucking alibi! Of course he flooded the basement. Can’t have murder evidence lying around with the disappearance of his neighbor, now can he?

 

“What’s wrong, Rey?” Ben said with a smirk. He was baiting her to say something. He knew he won this one. 

 

“Nothing,” Rey faked another smile and finished her meal in silence. She just wanted to get the hell away from him. After finishing what was on her plate, she got up without a word and took it to the sink. Scrubbing the dish clean, she didn’t hear Ben come up behind her. 

 

The clink of the dishes into the sink were followed by his hands gripping her hips. He kissed the top of her head and turned her around before picking her up and putting her on the countertop. Rey was now at eye level with him.  _ Just kiss him and be done with it. _

 

_ “ _ I missed you today. It’s been hard to work now that I know I have you to come home to,” He whispered against her trembling lips. 

 

“Yeah?”

 

“Mhmm.” 

 

“Uhm, I have to pee.”

 

Rey tried to get down but Ben slapped both of his hands down on either side of her. He leaned in to kiss her and she let him.  _ Just play the game. _

 

His tongue slipped into her mouth once more. Rey was so lost in hoping it would end that she was too late to stop him from spreading her legs so he could stand in between them, his hips flush to hers. He broke away for a moment to hold her face. 

 

“You are so beautiful.” 

 

“Thanks.”

 

“I want you.”

 

“Ok.” She wanted to get down.  _ Now _ .

 

“I want all of you.”

 

“M-maybe soon? This is new.” Her voice trembled. He couldn’t expect her to move this fast. 

 

“I want you, now. I’ve waited long enough, Rey. Please. I love you.” 

 

Oh God. This was bad. He  _ did  _ want to move this fast. 

 

“Give yourself to me.” His forehead touched hers. 

 

What was she going to do? Rey’s heart fluttered in her chest as anxiety rose. She thought she had more time until she had to do this. She didn’t want to do this. She had hoped to escape first. 

 

_ Play the game. _

 

If she truly wanted to get him to believe her, she would have to make this sacrifice. The one thing she couldn’t get back.

 

“I’m scared.” That wasn’t a lie at least. 

 

“I know. It’s okay. You’ll love it, I promise.” His hands pulled her closer to him as his thrust his hips against her. She could feel his hard cock in between her legs. He felt big. Holy shit, she was going to have to have sex with him. With  _ Ben _ .

 

She took shaky breaths as he picked her off the counter and carried her. Rey wrapped her legs around his waist and arms around his neck to hang on. His lips were on her neck and shoulder, with playful bites. 

 

Rey was two steps to a panic attack as he laid her on that same master bed that she was musing about that afternoon. 

 

“My beautiful girl.” He said as he started unbuttoning his shirt. Rey leaned on her elbows, trying not to stare at the doorway, her only escape at this point. 

 

He was back on her, this time on top. Rey could feel him against her as he rested his hips on hers to hold her down. His mouth met hers and he grabbed her arms and put them around his neck. 

 

Rey tried to play along as they kissed. Maybe she could pretend it was someone else or a celebrity or something. She closed her eyes and tried to drown out his moans as he deepened the kiss. 

 

Ben moved from her lips to her neck and down her chest as he pulled up the tank top. Rey fought the urge to fight him as his tongue swirled around one of her nipples. She bit her lip to keep from moaning. 

 

This was too much. She couldn’t do this. She had to, but she couldn’t. Rey started shaking as she realized this was going too far. This was a game she could no longer play. But it was too late. His fingers were already dipping into her pajama pants. 

 

“Ben!” She stopped him, her hands on the wrist that was so close to her center. He stopped with half-lidded eyes, his hot breath on her face. 

 

“What baby? It’s going to be fine. Haven’t you been touched here before? I figured that Hux kid would have tried that already.”

 

If they weren’t in the current situation that they were in, Rey would’ve slapped him. 

 

“N-no. I haven’t done this. Just by myself.” She admitted, her cheeks flushing. Maybe if he saw how nervous she was, she’d buy some time. Instead, Ben smiled and kissed her. 

 

“So it’s just me? I get to be the one to explore you, make you feel good?” His jaw twitched his breath shuddered. 

 

“Y-yes. I don’t know if I’m ready.” 

 

“Don’t you love me?”

 

“Uhm, yes?”

 

“Then trust me, baby.”

 

Oh shit. She thought he’d stop. His fingers dipped into her panties and she grasped his wrist once more, her voice catching in her throat. 

 

“I-I can’t do this.” She started pushing him off of her and she squirmed away, falling off the bed. Rey got up quickly to see Ben staring at the floor, his expression blank. 

 

“Ben?” She squeaked. His eyes shot up to her and his eyes narrowed. 

 

“You were fucking playing me weren’t you?” He said in a dangerously quiet tone. Rey didn’t know what to say. How did he figure her game out so fast? 

 

“Uh-I—“

 

“No! SHUT UP!” The shout startled her. Rey started to back up slowly once he rose to his full height. This was exactly what she was afraid of. The unstable moods. What would he do? Would he just kill her now?

 

Tears stung her eyes and she held her hands up in defense.

 

“B-Ben please, I—“

 

“I fucking love you, Rey! Don’t you see that? You thought you were going to what? Just play me and then run away?”

 

Well, yeah. That’s exactly what she thought. Not that she would admit anything. Right now, she wanted to piss herself. She glanced back down the hallway. Could she run for it? Her feet would freeze in the cold air. But it would be better than what she’s about to endure here.

 

He caught her intentions as that same laugh from the other night escaped his lips. 

 

“Oh no, you’re not getting away from me. You’re fucking  _ mine _ now.”

 

She had nothing to lose. Rey took off down the hallway and got to the door. She fumbled with the lock and jerked it open. She opened the door when suddenly it slammed shut with fervor. 

 

She was grabbed roughly by the waist and thrown over Ben’s shoulder. Beating his back with her fists while he laughed. 

 

“Stop! Put me down, Ben please! I’m sorry!” She sobbed as she could see through teary eyes that he was taking her back to the master room. 

 

“I’m sorry, so so sorry.” She cried as he dropped her on the bed. He quickly locked the master room door and went to the set of drawers. Rey was too scared to move. 

 

“I give you nice things, give you better treatment, and take care of you and this is what I get. All I wanted was your love in return. We were going to be together,” He said as he paced back and forth quickly, his hands trembling. 

 

“I can, I’m just not ready yet!”

 

“STOP! LYING!” He screamed in her face, spit hitting her cheeks. Rey’s face scrunched up as she sobbed loudly, snot running down her nose.

 

“You know I can take whatever I want.” He said quietly, his eyes locked on hers with an intensity that made her shiver. She huffed a breath.

 

“W-what do you mean?”

 

He said nothing as he went back to rummaging through the drawers. Rey wiped her nose and face and squinted to see what he had in his hand. 

 

Ben turned around and with a sinister smile, he waved a blue Hermès scarf.

 

Rey screamed. 


	14. Now this is dangerous, at 100 mph

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey feels Ben’s obsession with her at the next level.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Malevolent Reverie for being an amazing inspiration and always helping me push the limits! 
> 
> It’s been a hell week, so enjoy! 
> 
> BIG TIME TRIGGER WARNING: THIS IS NOT A DRILL. STRAIGHT UP NONCON IN THIS. If you want a good song to go with this chapter, listen to “Ticket to Death” by Misstrip.

 

He was going to kill her now. This was it. 

 

Her lungs hurt from the blood curdling scream that echoed throughout the cabin. Ben laughed as she scrambled to the door. She banged her fists on the door in vain, screaming for help. 

 

“Scream all you want, Rey. There’s no one for miles. Just us.” She could hear him getting closer. 

 

Rey turned and tried to push him away as he grabbed her arms and shoved her roughly on the bed. She crawled backwards as he got on top and pinned her down. 

 

“No! Stop! I’m sorry!” Rey cried as she pushed on his chest and face, her nails digging into his skin. He grunted and snatched up both of her wrists, wrapping them tightly in the scarf before leaning over to tie the scarf to the headboard. Rey tugged on it and kicked her legs out. 

 

Ben said nothing as he walked to his bathroom, returning with a syringe. 

 

“This is just enough of a dose to keep you awake, but it should stop the kicking,” he said to himself. Rey screamed in frustration as he shoved the syringe roughly into her upper arm. 

 

“No…” she groaned in pain.

 

He ignored her as he started unbuckling his belt. The medicine was working fast—Rey felt her legs get heavier by the minute. 

 

“I don’t want die,” she whimpered. Ben laughed and slipped his pants off.

 

“Who said you were going to die, little dove? I’m just going to take what I want. I tried to do this the easy way and be gentle, but it seems that you need a little more convincing in regards to your situation here.”

 

Rey couldn’t even speak. Her chest heaved with quick breaths as he pulled his boxers down. She flicked her eyes to the ceiling, not wanting to see him. 

 

She felt the bed dip as he climbed on top of her. She cursed the medicine as it did exactly as he promised. Rey wasn’t going to be able to escape this through sleep. 

 

“Now, where were we?” he mused as he reached over to the nightstand and pulled out a knife. Her eyes widened at the shining metal blade. 

 

“Relax. I already told you, I’m not going to kill you, Rey,” he said as he sliced through her pajama top. Rey whined as he pulled down her pants in silence. 

 

Ben’s tongue was back on her nipples as he spread her legs with his knees. His hand traced her stomach, going lower and lower until he dipped a finger into her. 

 

Rey gasped and tugged at the scarf. He kissed up to her neck and playfully bit her ear. 

 

“You’re more ready than you thought, huh? Soaking wet for me,” he whispered in her ear. Ben pulled out his finger and brought it to his lips while she watched, disgusted. He sucked on his finger before kissing down her body, ending where his hand was moments before. 

 

“Ben, please…”

 

“Please, what? Please continue?”

 

“S-stop. I promise I’ll be ready one day if you just stop now,” she begged. He laughed softly and dipped his head between her legs, his tongue flickering across her clit. Rey’s breath hitched and he looked at her.

 

“Poor little dove. All she does is lie. She lied about who the killer was. Now she’s lying about loving me. No one believes her now. She truly should be taught a lesson,” he said in a teasing tone. 

 

Rey choked out a sob as Ben returned to licking her. He held her legs apart so he could venture deeper. She bit her lip to hold in a moan. She couldn’t give him that satisfaction. 

 

His pattern continued and her legs quivered. He groaned as he picked up the pace until suddenly Rey couldn’t hold her moans in any longer. Ben massaged her thighs and his tongue coaxed her through her orgasm. Rey felt disgusted with herself as he leaned back up to kiss her hard on the lips.

 

She spits at him once he pulled back. He winked and pinched her cheek. 

 

“Now that my baby is all ready, it’s time for what I want. What I’ve been waiting for.”

 

Rey cried and pulled once more at the scarf. She just wished it would break. She hated this. She wasn’t ready for this. She wanted to go home. 

 

At this moment, she regretted everything. Regretted knowing him. Regretted studying to figure out who the killer was. Regretted going to the police. Rey wished she could go back in time. 

 

Ben pumped himself and sighed, pulling Rey from her thoughts. She looked at his cock and a shiver went down her spine. He was too big. He caught her watching and smirked. 

 

“Someday soon, I’m going to put this in that cute little mouth of yours.” 

 

Rey tried once more to kick him, but her legs felt like lead. She felt completely helpless as he aimed himself and pushed slowly into her. 

 

She screamed until his kiss silenced her. Hot tears ran down her cheeks as he pushed slowly, inch by inch into her. 

 

“God, yes. I’ve waited too long for this,” he said against her lips. Rey squeezed her nails into her palms with each push. Ben reached her barrier and locked eyes with her. 

 

“There’s no going back now, baby. You really  _ are _ mine,” he said with one final push. Rey cried out as she physically felt her virginity leave her with a sting. She felt physical pain at the loss of something that was taken from her, against her will. 

 

Ben licked the tears on her cheeks as he waited a moment for her to adjust. 

 

“Shhh, sweetie, it always sucks the first time,” he promised lovingly as if they were two lovers. 

 

“It hurts,” she whispered, defeated.

 

“I know. It’ll be okay.” 

 

Ben pulled out slowly and shoved back in, causing a sense a pleasure to pool around Rey’s lower stomach. She didn’t want to enjoy this, she couldn’t let herself. 

 

Ben found a rhythm and the pain barely subsided as he grunted against her cheek with each movement. Rey laid helplessly as the pressure became more apparent with each thrust. 

 

“Yes, baby, this is it. I knew you would be like this. I can’t wait to cum in that tiny little pussy of yours,” he huffed between thrusts. 

 

Dread filled Rey’s stomach as she realized she wasn’t on any sort of birth control. Oh God. She could get pregnant. 

 

“No! No please don’t!”

 

“Mmm,  _ yes. _ ”

 

He shoved himself deeper and the pressure built in Rey’s stomach until she felt a wave of pleasure rock through her core. Ben smiled and kissed her as she whimpered and mewled. 

 

“That’s it, baby, give yourself to me.” 

 

Ben’s groaned loudly when he came. Rey could feel his cum shooting inside her in spurts. Her chest heaved as she stared at ceiling. Emptiness filled her as the weight of what happened spread throughout her body. Ben laid on her for a moment before rolling off. 

 

Her eyes flickered down to see the blood and cum all over her thighs, like a fucking crime scene. Well, that’s what it was, right? Ben rolled over and threw his arm over her stomach and buried his face in hair and inhaling. 

 

“I love you, Rey.”

 

She said nothing as she silently cried. 

  
  
  



	15. Monster, how should I feel?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey’s nightmare continues as Ben explains his reasoning behind everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience on this one! Enjoy! 
> 
> Thanks as ALWAYS to Malevolent Reverie who just wants her tumblr back. If you guys want some fun short stories to read, go check them out! 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: MAJOR NONCON

They say when you go through a trauma, your body goes into shock to protect itself. It’s as if your body is saying “you’ve had enough.” 

 

Rey was at the point. She could no longer feel the sticky feeling between her legs. She could no longer hear Ben’s breathing as he slept peacefully beside her. 

 

All she could hear was the pounding of her heart and her own breath. She didn’t even react when Ben woke up a few hours later. Rey just laid there. 

 

“Hey sunshine, did you sleep well?” he murmured to her as he sat on her side of the bed.  _ Her side _ . As if she was his lover. As if what just happened the night before was  _ perfectly _ normal. 

 

Rey didn’t reply as she kept her eyes glued to the nightstand beside her. Maybe if she ignored him, he would leave her alone. He untied her wrists from the blue scarf and she hugged them to herself.

 

Ben sighed and stroked her bare thigh. She flinched and kicked her leg away from him as if his touch burned. 

 

“Sweetie, don’t be like this. Let’s get you cleaned up. You don’t want to look like that all day, do you?”

 

She just shrugged and rubbed her sore wrists. She wanted nothing to do with him. Her body began sending her more and more reminders of the night before as pain throbbed between her legs. Her back ached from trying to get away and her shoulders burned from being tied up for so long. 

 

Tears welled in her eyes as Ben dug his hands underneath her and picked her up. Rey was still weak from the medicine he gave her as she let her head fall on his chest. Thankfully he had the decency to at least get dressed. 

 

“Can you stand? That medicine can make you a little wobbly,” he asked once they got to his bathroom. She nodded as she let her down slowly.

 

Ben turned the shower on and helped her in before closing the shower curtain. Rey looked at him as her tears mixed with the pouring water. Ben sighed and walked away, leaving Rey alone. 

 

She fell to her knees and openly sobbed while furiously scrubbing between her legs. It ached down there so much. All she could think about was her virginity being ripped from her as her neighbor, the man that was supposed to be her best friend, raped her like so many of his victims. 

 

Rey willed herself to stand up and she scrubbed the remainder of her body in a fit of sniffles. She wanted to be home so bad. 

 

She finished the shower and wrapped herself tightly in a towel. A pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt in her size was folded neatly on the bed. She put the clothes on and walked down the hall to find Ben in the kitchen. 

 

He was making a couple sandwiches and he looked up when he saw her. 

 

“I bet you’re hungry. Come here and have a seat.” 

 

Rey nodded and sat at the table and tucked her hands in her lap as he placed a sandwich in front of her before sitting down beside her. 

 

He ate his in two to three bites while Rey just stared down at it. He knew she loved PB&J sandwiches. 

 

Ben huffed and broke off a piece and put it near her mouth. Rey held back tears and pressed her lips tightly together so he couldn’t shove it in her mouth. 

 

“So we’re going to play this game, huh? Like we’re a child? You’re not a child anymore, Rey. I made you a woman last night. Eat.” 

 

Rey choked out a sob and Ben threw down the sandwich piece on her plate in frustration, loud enough for it make a large plopping sound. 

 

“That’s it,” he said harshly through gritted teeth. Ben yanked her out of the chair roughly and started pulling her back towards the master bedroom. Rey cried hysterically as she tugged against him.

 

“No, please. Stop, Ben!” 

 

“You’re the one who wants to keep playing games, Rey; not me!” he shouted as he continued dragging her without a struggle, his large hands gripped her forearm. 

 

He pushed her in the room and shoved her to the bed. Rey screamed as Ben grabbed her hair and used it to push her face first into the bed. 

 

Ben muttered about how frustrated she made him and how she started this when she teased him all along while he pulled her sweatpants to her knees. Rey scratched at the hand on her head with no luck. 

 

“You’re mine now, Rey. I’m going to make you love me back. You just wait,” he groaned as he rubbed himself against her. Rey squirmed and he laughed. 

 

“This is much better without the medicine don’t you think?”

 

With one quick push, he was inside her once more. The new angle made Rey want to puke as she sobbed into the comforter. She could feel all of him as he picked up the pace of his thrusts, his hands holding her hips. 

 

“Fuck… I should have done this so long ago. You’re gonna cum for me, Rey.” 

 

Rey shook her head and he tightened his grip on her hair. The pressure was building again and she bit her lip until it bled to keep from moaning. 

 

“You know how many other girls loved being fucked by me? Your friend Jessika, her sister: she practically begged for it towards the end. Soon you will too, baby.” 

 

The wave of her orgasm made Rey curl her toes and she could practically feel Ben’s smirk against her back. She moaned and shuddered until he came shortly after, once more cumming into her. 

 

“I’m not on birth control,” she said weakly when he pulled out of her. He massaged her back and leaned down and kissed her cheek. 

 

“I don’t care,” he whispered. 

 

Ben got up and when to the bathroom to clean himself off. Rey fought through the pain between her legs and ran to the bathroom. 

 

“Why are you doing this!” she screamed as she rushed at him, beating at whatever she could with her fists. 

 

Ben grabbed her fists and held her still as he pushed her against the nearest wall. Holding both of her hands with one of his, he grabbed her jaw tightly with the other. 

 

“Because you played with me, so now you’re getting what you deserve. All your life, you’ve teased me with you cute little soccer uniform and short shorts. I took all those girls because I wanted the perfect girl:  _ you.  _ Everything about you is perfect. I would rape those girls and scream your name and then I would put makeup on them so they would be maybe half as perfect as you. But they were never  _ you.”  _

 

Rey’s eyes widened in shock and she tried to shove him off. Ben shoved his knee between her legs to hold her still.

 

“No, we’re not done yet. I took you because I had this grand plan that if you could just see me as more than your neighbor then you could love me the way I love you. But then you  _ played  _ me. Well, I hate to say it, Rey, but I win. We’re going to go through with this plan. No more planning escapes or running away, got it?” 

 

Rey spit in his face and stomped on his foot. Ben grasped her shoulders and shook her hard. She looked up at him with hatred. 

 

“You can try all you want to paint this picture and to make me do what you want, but I would  _ never _ love a psychotic rapist like you!”

 

Ben stroked her cheek and kissed her roughly on the lips. 

 

“We’ll see.”

 

He walked out of the room and Rey leaned against the doorway for support. She needed to get out of here before she got herself killed. But how? 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it!


	16. You’re not such an easy target, one minute I know you then I don’t

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In her own patch of hell, Rey forms a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Malevolent Reverie for checking this over and being an amazing friend and beta. 
> 
> Trigger warning: NONCON

Three weeks have passed. It was almost Christmas. Almost Rey’s birthday. She missed Thanksgiving with her parents. Her and Ben had a small turkey and watched a movie.

 

They had fallen into this weird routine. Ben went back and forth between aggressively taking her and then being sweet and loving, giving her gifts and unwanted affection. 

 

Rey could never tell which Ben she was going to get which day. She was constantly in a mode of flight, trembling every time he noticed her. She didn’t want to admit that he had broken her, but it certainly felt like he did. 

 

She never gave up searching for a way out. While the news blared statements from her parents and friends, vowing that they wouldn’t give up looking for her, Rey vowed to herself that she would keep looking for a way out of this hell. 

 

There were no suspects. The cameras near the bridge were mysteriously wiped out the day of her kidnapping. She was on her own. 

 

Rey was curled up on the couch watching  _ Elf _ when Ben came home from work. She didn’t even look up to see him but instead pulled a blanket over herself. Maybe if he didn’t see her in shorts, he wouldn’t be interested in anything sexual tonight. 

 

“What do you want for dinner tonight, sweetie?”

 

Rey shrugged and kept her attention on the TV. It was always like this. Ben trying to be sweet, then Rey doing her best to ignore him. Unfortunately, this tactic led to a 50/50 chance that he would flip his lid and rape her. 

 

Ben walked up to her and leaned over the couch to kiss her cheek. So he was going to be ‘nice Ben’ tonight. The same fake person he had always been before she knew what he really was. A monster. 

 

“Why don’t I make us some chicken parm to celebrate our first night together, hmm?” 

 

The thought made Rey want to puke. The first night they were together? Meaning the night he lost his mind and raped her?

 

“I’ll just have cereal, thanks.”

 

“You sure? It won’t take long to whip up. We can recreate the night if you want.”

 

“I’m fine. Can I please just have cereal?”

 

“Of course, dove, but not before you give me a kiss.” He replied, tapping his lips. 

 

Rey swallowed down the bile in the throat and gave him a quick peck before getting up and walking to the kitchen. She pulled out a bowl and the box of  _ Lucky Charms _ and poured what she wanted. She added just enough milk before taking a seat back on the couch. 

 

Ben made himself a sandwich and grabbed a beer before sitting down next to her. Once she finished eating, he grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him, filling her nose with pine.

 

He played with her hair while absently flipping through the channels. His hand crept down to play with the hem of her shorts. 

 

“So, your birthday is coming up soon. What do you want for your birthday? Aside from the engagement ring I have for you. Eighteen is a big year, Rey.”

 

Rey held back tears as she remembered talking with Rose about having a big party with all of her friends at a lake house. Yet, here she was with her deranged neighbor that is obsessed with her. 

 

“I don’t know. Nothing.”

 

“C’mon, dove, there has to be  _ something _ .”

 

“I want to see my parents. But you won’t make that happen, will you.”

 

“You can see your parents, once I’m convinced that you won’t run off or do anything stupid. We have to wait long enough the play out the next stage of the plan with me finding you.” 

 

There is was again. That stupid fucking plan. His grandiose plan for them to live happily ever after even considering everything he’s done to her. It was almost laughable at this point. 

 

But oh, her heart  _ ached _ to see her parents again. Her friends. Even the damn dog.

 

“So, anything else you want?” He asked, pulling her attention away from her longing. 

 

“No, nothing else.” 

 

Ben hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.

 

“What are the chances that you’ll give yourself to me willingly?” He murmured to her as his fingers drew lines on her stomach. Rey’s lip quivered and she shook her head. 

 

“Zero.”

 

Ben responded with a sigh and started to get up off the couch. Rey crossed her arms and prepared herself internally for what was to come. 

 

“Have it your way then.” 

 

He pushed her to lie back on the couch. Rey clenched her legs together, trying to prevent him from crawling on top. 

 

“Don’t fuck with me tonight, Rey.” He hissed. There it was. The mood switch. Rey honestly preferred him this way. At least he was honest about the monster he was when he was like this. 

 

Ben tugged her legs open and he pushed his hips in between hers. He groaned at the contact while Rey squirmed to move back. His arms caged her in and she was stuck looking up at him.

 

He leaned back and pulled her shorts off, taking her panties with them, and threw them off the side of the couch. He pushed two fingers into her and began pumping gently as he brushed his lips against her neck. 

 

“So fucking perfect. Just think about when we go on our honeymoon. Someplace exotic. With a beach. We can have sex on the beach. Maybe by then I’ll get you pregnant with my kid. I’ve been thinking about a name, what about Kennedy?”

 

Rey tried to drown out his musings as she turned her attention to the TV. A kid’s Christmas movie was playing now. Something with talking cats.

 

“Your parents are going to  _ love _ having grandchildren.” 

 

Rey whipped her head to him at the mention of her parents. His fingers twisted inside her in a way that made her legs shake. She fought the tension building up like a rocket.

 

“I’m  _ not  _ having kids with you.” She said as her hands went to the wrist that was connected to the fingers coaxing her into an orgasm. Ben held steady as he picked up his movements. 

 

Rey couldn’t fight it off any longer as her body went over the edge, sending her into a fit of shudders and spasms. Ben barely gave her time to recover before ripping his belt off and unzipping his pants, letting himself free. 

 

He pushed himself into her and grabbed her wrists with his hands as he moved into a steady rhythm. Rey didn’t even cry anymore. 

 

He leaned down and placed his forehead against hers and kissed her nose. She could feel his panting breaths on her face. 

 

“You aren’t...fighting me this time.” He whispered in between thrusts. 

 

“What’s the point, anymore?”

 

Ben didn’t respond as he moved to quicker and unpaced thrusts, signaling he was close. He kissed her deeply before resting his head on her chest. 

 

“Fuck...you feel amazing...still so fucking tight.” He growled. A few more quick pushes and he pulled out to release himself, spilling his cum all over her stomach. 

 

Rey wanted to gag as she watched his spend go all over stomach. Breathing heavily he stood up and moved a couple steps over so he was directly in front of her face. 

 

“Clean me off, baby.”

 

Rey whimpered and shook her head. She tried to shift away from the couch, but Ben stopped her.

 

“Don’t make me ask again, Rey.”

 

“Please? I don’t want to, Ben.”

 

“I didn’t ask what you wanted to do.”

 

The look in his eye signaled that he was two steps away from screaming in her face. Rey shakily nodded and timidly took him in her mouth. The mix of her and him and the salty taste of his cum made her want to puke. 

 

“That’s it baby, give it a good lick.” 

 

Rey did her best not to choke as she was force to lick him clean. His hands were wound tightly in her hair, guiding her as he moaned her name loudly. 

 

After a few minutes, Rey had enough and she pushed against his thighs. He let her move back and she sniffled. She rushed to the bathroom to get the taste out of her mouth. 

 

Grabbing the mouthwash from the cabinet in Ben’s bathroom, she swished a heaping mouthful, not caring if it burned like hell. She hoped it was burning away the memories of his cock in her mouth. 

 

She spit out the mouthwash and almost walked out of the bathroom when she realized his medicine cabinet was unlocked. 

 

So many times she tried to get that damn thing open while he was at work and it was locked. Rey quickly locked the door to keep Ben from coming in. With trembling hands, she started exploring the cabinet. 

 

There were a myriad of pills, needles, and God knows what else. Rey looked at the different names and didn’t see anything that she recognized. She was pretty sure Ben was on some sort of antipsychotic or something for his mood swings, but he definitely wasn’t taking them in her opinion.

 

Biting her lip, she grabbed a syringe and held it to her chest. Was this what he used to knock her out so many times? This was a chance for escape! But she had to be smart when to use it. A loud knock made her jump. 

 

“Everything okay in there, dove?”

 

“Uh, yeah! I’m just...wiping!” She said as she threw a wad of toilet paper in the toilet. 

 

Rey panicked and looked around. Where could she hide this thing until she was ready? Frantically searching for a spot, she turned in circles. Spotting an old potpourri dish above the toilet, Rey dug through the peppermint chips and put the syringe at the very bottom. Covering it up to the point where she was satisfied that he wouldn’t notice, Rey washed her hands and opened the door. 

 

“Why’d you lock the door?” Ben asked, directly blocking her from leaving the bathroom. 

 

“I just wanted some privacy while I pee.”

 

He raised an eyebrow and moved aside for her to get by. Rey walked over to his bed and pulled back the covers, faking a yawn while Ben went into the bathroom. 

 

She kept her eyes glued as he searched around suspiciously.  _ Please don’t search that potpourri dish.  _ She’d be dead if he found it. Thankfully he didn’t, but he did stare into the toilet for a few moments. 

 

“You must have drank a shit ton of water today, because you forgot to flush and the water is still completely clear.” 

 

_ Shit.  _

 

_ “ _ I was really thirsty today.”

 

He didn’t respond as he flushed the toilet anyway and returned to the bedroom. He got into bed beside her and turned off the side lamp. He pulled her close and tucked his chin on top of her head, locking her in his arms. 

 

“You know, if you’re planning something stupid, I’m going to know, Rey.”

 

“I know. I’m not, I promise.”

 

“Just so you know. You’re mine and I’m not letting you go.”

 

“I know.”

 

“I love you, Rey.”

 

“I know.”

 

               ——————————

 

The next morning Rey woke up with her period. She sighed in relief because despite how many time he had raped her over the past three weeks, she still wasn’t pregnant. 

 

And now, with that syringe, she had a plan. 

  
  


               ——————————

 

Daisy Niima was tired. She stopped by the drug store to pick up the antidepressants she was prescribed to help her cope with her missing daughter. The doctor said it would help with the pain and anxiety. As if your child going missing was a normal occurrence. 

 

She had developed a bad cold from the late night searching. Scouting the woods, the lake, anywhere that her baby girl might be.

 

She just wanted her baby back. She didn’t believe Rey was dead. Rey was a fighter, a strong girl. She was doing whatever she could to survive. Daisy fully believed that.

 

So as she stood in line and picked up her Lexapro, she thought again to the last argument that she had with Rey. 

 

It was about Ben Solo, their neighbor. The poor girl was convinced with all her being that he was the killer, despite Armitage’s arrest. 

 

But Ben was  _ so _ helpful these past few weeks. He was leading some of the search parties in the afternoons, taking time off work during the morning to help her. It was a shame his basement flooded. She wished he could be next door to help more, or just  _ listen.  _

 

There were a few times when she wanted to call and just go to his mother’s cabin to just cry. Her husband couldn’t handle it anymore. He was a shell, drawn into himself. That was how he was coping. Everyone had their own way. 

 

Daisy grabbed her prescription bag and moved down the aisle to go home where she’d heat up some soup for her and her husband. She bumped into someone along the way and her bottle spilled out and rolled down the feminine products aisle. Right into a man’s shoe. 

 

“I’m so sorry.” She said she walked up to grab the bottle when the man picked it up first. Daisy looked up to see that it was Ben. 

 

“No problem, Daisy. How are you holding up?” He said, reaching his arm out for a hug. She hugged him tightly and took the bottle from him, hoping he didn’t get a chance to read it. 

 

“I’m hanging in there. I’m thinking of expanding the search party a little further out this weekend. Maybe to surround cities. What do you think?”

 

“It wouldn’t be a bad idea. Unfortunately I am going to be covered in work this weekend so I’ll be stuck in my cabin with my laptop. But I know my mother could help.”

 

“Thank you, Ben. For everything. I know Rey would be tickled to death to know that you are helping so much to bring her home. This is probably my new medicine talking, but I sometimes wished you were a little bit younger.”

 

Ben raised his eyebrows and smirked. “Why do you say that, Daisy?”

 

“Well, I always thought that you and Rey would have made a cute couple. Timing sucks, doesn’t it? I’m so sorry, I don’t know what I’m saying. I clearly need more sleep.” She said, covering her eyes. She was making an absolute fool of herself now. 

 

“Not to worry. I completely understand. Your daughter is very special to me.” 

 

They stood in an awkward silence when Daisy realized what aisle they were in. She saw him standing in front of tampons with furrowed brows. 

 

“So, are you buying for a girlfriend?” She asked, pointing to the box closest to them.

 

“No, my uh, niece is town and she just started her period so I’m trying to be nice and make her comfortable, but I honestly have no idea what a teenage girl needs.” He said with a sheepish smile. He rubbed the back of his head. 

 

Daisy laughed and grabbed a box of organic tampons and handed it to him. 

 

“I totally get that. Go with these! Rey used to get really bad reactions from the scented ones so I went with organic and we haven’t had a problem since. If you need any help talking to her about it, let me know. I miss having a little teenager to talk to myself.” 

 

Ben took the box gently and smiled. He pulled her back in for a hug. 

 

“We’ll find her, Daisy, I know it. She’s out there.”

 

Daisy wiped away a stray tear and nodded. She needed to get out of there before she started blubbering in front of everyone. She mumbled a goodbye and started walking towards the exit before she gasped and turned around to see him out of sight. Something was off.

 

Ben Solo was an only child. 

  
  
  
  
  



	17. You’re a mean one, Mr. Solo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey forms a plan and endures punishment from Ben while her mother is hot on their trails.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Malevolent Reverie for checking it over and always supporting me taking risks! 
> 
> This chapter contains non-con and spanking. I updated the tags so please be mindful.
> 
> Off to make some Christmas cookies! Happy holidays everyone ❤️

Rey rolled out of bed around 11 AM on Friday with the worst cramps. She groaned and walked to the bathroom. Ben was thankfully at work so she had a moment to herself. 

 

Sadly, her period didn’t stop his daily assaults on her. It didn’t even help the cramps. Rey peed while she conducted her daily check for the syringe to make sure it was still there. She sighed in relief when she felt the tiny piece of plastic at the very bottom. 

 

That was her only saving grace. The key was finding  _ when _ to use it. Rey would only have one shot. She needed to plan this out. 

 

Ben was completely delusional. He had lost his damn mind. He had killed those girls because he couldn’t have her yet. Then when he kidnapped her, he raped her into submission and then believed that she would  _ just _ fall in love with him and return his feelings at some point. If she missed her one shot, she was a dead girl. 

 

After showering for the day, she pulled on a pair of sweatpants and one of Ben’s Charlotte Hornets t-shirts and walked downstairs. She looked around the house and sighed. 

 

It was mid-December and she didn’t see a Christmas decoration in sight. If this were her home, her father would have meticulously put out his village while her mom covered the house in pine and ribbons. Rey’s bottom lip trembled while she made herself some soup. 

 

She wanted to go home so bad. She couldn’t find her phone or any other way to talk to them. She’d give her left kidney for just a 30 second conversation with her mom and dad. 

 

After lunch, Rey spent all afternoon looking in the study for a book of maps for the area. She settled on a book about Lake Lure and the surrounding cabins and curled up on the leather couch in the study. 

 

They had to be at least an hour within city limits because Ben got off at five and was often home by 5:45, depending on traffic and how much he sped. 

 

Rey pulled out a little notebook from the side table and start jotting down facts.

 

_ Within an hour of town. Looked out window, deep in woods.  _

 

She continued reading and added more notes about the area. The problem was getting out of the woods and finding a main road. Her only chance was to follow the driveway and stay on the side of the road. That wouldn’t work if Ben didn’t stay unconscious for long. Rey had no clue how long that medicine would knock him out, considering how big he was. 

 

There was also the issue of wandering in the forest. Ben’s joke about bear attacks in the area were not lost on her. Rey remembered the news stories about bears in the woods and how hungry they were. So hiking was pretty much out of the question. 

 

What if she stole his car? Rey added that to her notes. That was a possibility! She would just need to figure out where he put his keys so she could grab them and run! Without a phone, she would be guessing on directions but surely she could figure it out. Or at least go to a surrounding town! 

 

Rey smiled at her notes as she felt confident that she was getting somewhere. This could  _ work.  _ Maybe she would see her family’s Christmas decorations after all! 

 

“Rey? Sweetie? I’m home!” 

 

Rey jumped. She didn’t even hear the damn door open! She shoved the notes into the book and slammed it back on the shelf quickly before rushing into the living room. 

 

Ben was in the kitchen with more take out boxes and some pamphlets. 

 

“Where were you? I couldn’t find you in the cameras.”

 

“I was in the study! I’ve been reading all afternoon.”

 

“Oh yeah? About what?”

 

Rey couldn’t tell him what book it was, he’d find her notes! She thought back to what was on the shelf. 

 

“Gray’s Anatomy!”

 

“You mean the big medical dictionary? That’s hardly light reading, Rey.” 

 

“Well I thought it’d be like the show, but then I just started getting interested in different body parts,” she responded nonchalantly. She looked at the take out boxes and started pulling them out. Her eyes then shifted to the brochures. 

 

Pictures of exotic islands and the titles, “Fiji”, “Bora Bora” and “Turks & Caicos” were written in bold font. 

 

“What are these?” 

 

Ben looked over and smiled at her before kissing the top of her head. He handed her a takeout box full of Tikka Masala. 

 

“That, my love, is where we’re going for your birthday.” 

 

Rey’s heart sank. Her birthday was at the end of the month. She faked a smile and fingered the brochures. She wanted to throw them in the trash.

 

Ben wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him as he rested his head on her shoulder. She tried to squirm away, but he held tight. 

 

“Where do you want to go, baby? You choose,” he whispered, his breath hot in her ear. 

 

“I want to go home, Ben.” 

 

He huffed and pulled away, grabbing his dinner and walked to the couch without another word. Great. He was mad now. This was going to be a fun night. She sighed and tucked the brochures under the mail so she didn’t have to look at it. 

 

They ate their dinner in silence while Ben watched the latest hockey game. Rey played with her chicken as she didn’t have an appetite. 

 

So she’d have to execute her plan sooner than she thought. She could do this! She just needed to figure out where everything was. Rey planned on researching every day until she felt comfortable with her plan. 

 

Rey cleaned up their trash and walked towards the study, ready to jump back into her plan. It was risky, but maybe Ben would leave her alone. 

 

“Where do you think you are going?”

 

“I want to go read.”

 

“Bring the book back in here, babe.”

 

Shit. There went that plan. She rolled her eyes and picked out the medical book that she didn’t give a shit about. 

 

He pulled her on the couch next to him and watched her scan aimlessly through the book. 

 

“So which body part were you reading about that you were so fascinated by?” 

 

Damn. He was Mr. Questions tonight. 

 

“Uhhh—legs and stuff! You know, because I’m a soccer player and all.”

 

“What about them?”

 

“That they have to hold up so much weight and everything and the pressure when running? It’s really interesting.”

 

“Mhmm, you’re right,” he said tonelessly. He was making Rey nervous. He could  _ not _ figure out what she was really doing. 

 

Rey played with the pages, unsure of what to do next. She decided to just get up and put it away. Walking back to the study, she put the book on the leather couch and was about to turn around when she was yanked from behind and shoved roughly against the wall. 

 

Ben seethed and pressed his forehead against hers. Rey whimpered and tried to push at his chest but he grabbed her wrists, grinding the bones together painfully. She started shivering in pain and fear. 

 

“Ben, stop you’re hurting me!” she cried out. He didn’t respond, just locked his eyes on her. 

 

“You’re lying to me.”

 

“No I’m not!”

 

“Which book was it Rey, hm? What were you sneaking in here doing all day? You better not lie to me again!” he hissed, spit hitting her cheeks. 

 

“I’m not going to tell you!” she screamed. Rey thrashed against him and stomped hard on his foot. Ben yelped and let her go for a moment and Rey took it. 

 

She ran past the living room and towards the bedroom. The time was now. She just needed to grab the syringe and shove it in his arm while pushing the medicine into him. 

 

Rey got two steps into the bathroom before a sharp pain tugged at her hair. Ben had a fistful of hair and dragged her to the bed. No, no, no, not this again. He pushed her face first into the comforter.

 

“I’ll show you what happens to little girls when they lie.” 

 

“Please, Ben, please stop!”

 

“I’ll rip every book off that shelf until I find out which one it was, believe me!” 

 

He ripped her sweatpants down to her ankles and Rey didn’t get even a moment to the cold air before a hard blow landed on her butt. She screamed into the comforter as Ben began spanking her, blow after blow. Each one harder than the last. Her knees almost gave out and she cried out, begging for him to stop. 

 

“You don’t… fucking… listen to me!” he said in between hits. Finally, he stopped, but only to flip her over. He made quick work of taking his belt and pants off, freeing his hard cock. Rey tried to crawl back towards the headboard, but was pulled back towards him yesterday her ankles. The comforter added to the pain on her cheeks. 

 

He shoved himself into her with a deep thrust. Rey sobbed openly, tears pouring down her cheeks. She wished she had stabbed him with the damn syringe.

 

With each push, he told her how disappointed he was in her. Rey didn’t care. She didn’t care how  _ he _ felt. She hoped he got caught and got the harshest punishment possible. Death penalty even. She never wished that on anyone, but this man? She did. 

 

As he was bottoming out with each thrust, his phone suddenly rang. He stopped to look at it on the floor and grunted. Picking it up, he placed a hand over her mouth. 

 

“Hello, Daisy! How are you?”

 

Daisy!? Her mom! Ben looked down at her and winked with a smile. Rey bucked her hips on the bed and squealed, trying to make any sound despite his hand. She could still feel him inside her, rocking gently, but she didn’t care. Her fucking mom was on the other line! 

 

Ben put it on speaker and waved it around, teasing Rey. She cried out but it was muffled by his large hand. 

 

“What’s that sound?” she heard her mom ask on the other line. Ben stared Rey down and tightened his grip on her jaw.

 

“Oh, just a new cat I got. It’s a little scrappy so I’m trying to teach it to behave,” he said, shoving his cock into Rey with a deep push.

 

“I thought you were allergic to cats?” 

 

“My mom told me that because she didn’t want a cat in that gorgeous house of hers. So what’s up?”

 

“I was hoping to come by and talk to you for a bit.”

 

Rey’s heart soared. Like he would let her mom come over, but she hoped with everything she had in her that her mom knew something was up.

 

“I’d love for you to Daisy, but I have a ton of reports to catch up on that I’ve pushed off because of these search parties. Not that I mind. I want to find Rey as much as you do. She means the world to me.”

 

Rey glared at him and opened her mouth to try and bite him. He shot her a look. 

 

“Oh, I understand. Maybe some other time. I’ll let you go, Ben. Take care.”

 

“You too.” And he hung up and threw his phone back on the floor before picking up the pace of his hips. 

 

“You hear that? Mommy wants to come visit. Mommy is a bit too smart for her own good. She needs to mind her own business. Don’t you agree Rey?” he said in between grunts. Rey fought the pressure in her lower stomach that was rising up. 

 

“Cum for me, Rey, that’s it.”

 

Each thrust of his hips brought Rey closer until she moaned and let herself over the edge, arching her back into him. Ben came shortly after. He laid on top of her for a few moments before retreating to the bathroom to clean up. Rey put her hands over her face and cried. 

 

She heard her mother. She wished she could’ve told her that she was alive so she wouldn’t worry anymore. It wasn’t fair. This was eating her parents alive and Rey couldn’t stop it. 

 

Ben returned and pulled her hands from her face as he licked her tears. He stroked her cheek lovingly. 

 

“Why don’t we go on that trip a little early? I think you and I both could use some alone time out of town.”

 

“I  _ hate  _ you, Ben Solo. So much. I hate you.”

 

“Shh, there, there, dove. You’re just all worked up from being punished. You don’t hate me. We’ll go to Fiji, in one of those little huts out in the ocean and have some romantic alone time. That’s just what we need. Away from all of these distractions.” 

 

Rey cried as he left the room. She sank down to the floor and curled up against the bed. She had to execute her plan this weekend. Ready or not, she couldn’t get on a plane with that man. 


	18. No Easy Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reality sets in for Rey with a packed bag and a surprise from Ben.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Malevolent Reverie for being an amazing beta and reading my chapter over and always being a wonderful friend and support! 
> 
> This chapter title is from “No Easy Way” by Digital Daggers.
> 
> Trigger Warning: slighhtttt gun violence? It’ll make sense in the next chapter 
> 
> This story will be wrapping up in a few chapters, but there will be a sequel ;)

Rey stared at the packed suitcases with dread. They sat neatly by the door with luggage tags. “Alex Windsor” was printed in bold letters on hers. A perfect match to the fake passport that Ben had a shady friend of his create. There were no roadblocks anymore. If he got her out of the country, Rey would never see home again.

 

She had two days. Two days to get the hell out of there. It was hard because Ben took off work, so she had zero idle time to ponder a plan. Especially now that he suspected that was what she was doing. Thankfully he dropped the idea about the book and her syringe was still hidden in the bathroom.

 

“Excited for our trip, Rey? Or should I say, Alex? I need to get in the habit of using that name until we’re out of here.” Ben interrupted her thoughts as he stood in front of her by the door.

 

Rey didn’t respond as she shrugged and shimmied past him to the kitchen. She pulled a mug out of the cabinet and started a kettle to make some tea.

 

“So, won’t they suspect something if you just disappear?”

 

“It’s not going to matter once we’re gone.”

 

“What about your mom? Your family?”

 

A scowl replaced a smile on his face as he grumbled, leaning against the counter.

 

“They probably won’t care much. I was never the perfect son my mother wanted anyway. She’ll probably write it off as a loss and use it as an excuse to invite people over,” he said bitterly.

 

Rey’s heart tugged a bit and she fought back any feelings of sympathy. It did make her wonder if this was why his obsession with her went too far and pushed him to kill all of those girls. To make them like _her._

 

 _“_ Do you want some tea?”

 

“Sure. I bet you make it nice and sweet. Just like you.”

 

She resisted an eye roll as she poured and settled two lemon tea bags into two mugs. Rey handed him one in silence and walked back up to her room. With him home, she needed to have some alone time to figure out her next step.

 

He let her be and she shut the door behind her. Setting the hot mug down, Rey walked over to the window and peered out. Much too high to climb out. She figured that out day one of her captivity. She was positive she would break a leg and screw herself even more.

 

Rey leaned her forehead against the cold glass and squeezed her eyes shut as tears threatened to fall. She didn’t _want_ to go with this man to another country. She didn’t want to leave everything behind.

 

They were going to Fiji. Her bottom lip trembled as she thought back to the time she and Ben sat in her parents rocking chairs and talked about places they always wanted to go.

 

It was then that Rey realized she hadn’t processed that this man that took was her _friend_. Her confidant. Sure, she realized it when he raped her for the first time, but after the initial need to survive the situation, it’s was finally hitting her that the Ben Solo she knew and truly loved was gone.

 

All of the times they spent together. All of the times she confided in him in things that she would never tell her parents. Tears stained the window, rolling down the pane as Rey broke out into sobs.

 

She fell to her knees and buried her head in them as she tried to remain as quiet as possible. She didn’t want Ben to hear her and investigate.

 

Understanding that she was going to have to injure or kill him made it tough. After everything he had done to her, it was still hard to forget who they were beforehand. She hated him for putting him in this situation. If he had just _waited_ maybe until after college, who knows what could’ve happened. But now that was gone.

 

Ben had turned her into a shell of a person and broke a deep trust and Rey was honestly unsure that she would ever be the same again.

 

The door opened to her bedroom and Rey prayed her would just leave her alone. She didn’t look up as footstep slowly made their way towards her.

 

“Rey?” he said softly. She heard the cracking of his joints as he lowered to the floor with her. Rey only cried harder.

 

“ _Please._ Please just go away. I want to be alone. Just for a minute.”

 

His large hands pulled her knees down, exposing her tear ridden face and stained shirt. His eyebrows furrowed as he scooted to the wall and pulled her to him. Rey didn’t have the energy to fight him anymore.

 

“Everything is going to be fine, you know that, right? We _will_ come back. I just need to get you away from here so we can get away from all of the distractions. So it can be just us.”

 

“But don’t you see it, Ben? I don’t, and never will  love you! You _raped_ me!” she whispered. Her hands started to shake and she ripped herself from his arms, standing up abruptly.

 

“You have taken everything away from me! My home, my family, my friends, my life, my virginity. Everything. I have _nothing_ more to give you. All you do is take!” Ben didn’t respond to her shouting but his eyes were trained darkly on hers.

 

“You are a psychopath, completely crazy, if you think, I would _ever_ fall in love with a monster like you! You were my friend, Ben. I trusted you and you destroyed me!”

 

Ben got up and gripped her wrists with one hand as he pulled something out with the other.

 

“Hush, dove, you’re just being emotional. You don’t mean that. I know everything is confusing right now, but it’ll make perfect sense once we are out of here,” he cooed. Rey opened her mouth to reply, but was blindsided by the velvet box in his other hand. Her eyes widened and she shook her head.

 

“I got this for you. I was going to wait until your birthday once we were in Fiji, but I figured it might help out things in perspective,” he said, opening the box to reveal a rather large cushion cut diamond. It was simple and honestly exactly something that Rey would have picked out.

 

Her eyes caught the fire sparkle against the overhead light. Ben smiled and let go of her right hand to gently hold the left. He slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her hand. Rey couldn’t respond as her heart raced and throat constricted.

 

“There. Absolutely perfect,” he whispered. Rey swallowed and jerked her hand away. She felt like he owned her now. That this was the final seal. She snatched the ring off her hand and put it back in the box on the bed.

 

“I—I don’t want this.”

 

“Why not? I saw the look on your face! You loved it, Rey!”

 

“I don’t love the person who gave it to me!” she seethed. Ben shifted his jaw and glared at the floor, calculating his next move. He walked to the door silently and turned back to her. Rey fought the urge to tremble as she met his eyes.

 

“I’m going to shower and get dinner ready. When you come downstairs, _that_ had better be on your hand.”

 

The door slammed behind him and Rey let out the breath she was holding. In a burst of anger, she screamed and grabbed the mug on the dresser and hurled it at the door, tea spilling all over the hardwood.

 

She sat on the bed with crossed arms as he came back in and quickly grabbed the pieces and cleaned up the liquid. He glanced at her and she turned her head.

 

“Be down in thirty minutes. With that ring on. I’m not playing anymore, Rey.”

 

The door shut once again and stared at the ring. She wanted so badly to flush the damn thing down the toilet. But that would surely get her killed and he was in no mood to play. Still, she would defy him.

 

Thirty minutes later, the smell of chicken and broccoli stirred her wandering mind and she walked downstairs to see Ben in pajamas with wet hair. He placed the plates on the table and gestured for Rey to sit down. She didn’t miss the blatant stare at her ringless hand.

 

Rey was too nervous to eat, unsure of what he’d do now that she defied him. He said nothing all through dinner which made it even more scarier.

 

“Oh. After dinner I want to show you something.”

 

Rey’s eyes popped up and nodded, afraid to say no. It would probably just another ploy to get her into his bedroom where he would have his way with her yet again. She pushed her plate away, nauseous.

 

“I’m ready now.”

 

Ben shrugged and got up. Rey followed him and he pulled her in front of him so she led the way. It was to his bedroom. She cleared her throat as he pushed her into the middle of the room before turning her toward the bathroom.

 

Chills ran up her spine. What was he up to?

 

“Uhm, why are we going to the bathroom?”

 

“Hush. There is something I want you to see.”

 

Oh shit. It’s the syringe. He found it. Cold sweats broke out into her skin as he flipped the switch for the bathroom light. Rey fought him and dug her feet into the ground. Ben pushed her forward and stood her in front of the toilet and she shivered.

 

“Ben, I can explain—“

 

“Why don’t you see what’s in the potpourri first?”

 

Rey remained still until Ben gripped her hand and shoved it into the bowl, allowing the chips to fall all around the toilet. Tears brimmed her eyes. This was the moment she was going to die.

 

“Ben, I’m sorry!”

 

“Keep looking.”

 

His quiet tone made her even more nervous. She was used to him screaming at her. Rey helplessly dug to the bottom of the bowl and her eyes widened. She looked up to see Ben closing the door with the syringe in his hand.

 

“Rey, this wouldn’t have knocked me out for long, you know.”

 

“It would’ve been enough!” she hissed bitterly. He laughed and jerked her back in front of him, the syringe poised at her upper arm.

 

Ben kissed her temple and his thumb pushed the plunger, sending the drug into her muscle. He opened his mouth to say something when the doorbell rang.

 

He cursed and laid Rey gently on the rug before shutting the bedroom door behind him. Rey crawled to the door to listen, hoping the drug wouldn’t knock her out too fast.

 

“Daisy! What a surprise. I was just getting ready to go to sleep early. What’s going on?” She heard him announcing through the muffle. Rey was losing feeling in her muscles as she tried to scream out. It came out of her mouth as a loud moan.

 

She heard light footsteps and knew her mom has let herself in. Please, please let her come to the bedroom.

 

“Daisy, you can’t be here, I have a guest!” Ben insisted, his tone getting louder and more unhinged. Rey started dipping in and out of consciousness.

 

“Where is she, Ben!?” her mom shrieked, the footsteps becoming more frantic.

 

“Are you drunk? What are you talking about?”

 

“Rey! Where is my daughter, you bastard?!”

 

Rey heard a shove and the sound of struggles. She didn’t know who was struggling, Ben, or her mother. She prayed that he wouldn’t hurt her.

 

The sound of a shrill scream and a gunshot was the last thing Rey heard before slipping into the darkness.


	19. This is my final call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey is faced with saving her and her mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Malevolent Reverie for sticking with me this entire story and being a wonderful beta for this chapter! 
> 
> This IS the last legit chapter but I will be posting and epilogue and I have decided to do a sequel. So this isn’t the end, but enjoy! You all have been so uplifting and wonderful and I can’t wait for you to join in the next part of this story!
> 
> Trigger warning: attempted strangulation.

_ “Rey, you forgot your apple, honey. You’re going to miss that right before practice!” _

_ Rey turned and caught the fruit just as her father tossed it in the air. She giggled and shoved it in her lunchbox. Her mom looked up from her laptop at the kitchen table and smirked.  _

 

_ “What is it they always say? ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away?’ Is that because they throw the apple at the doctor?”  _

 

_ Rey and her dad laughed and she rolled her eyes at her mom. Daisy Niima was the queen of corny jokes. But she loved her all the same.  _

 

_ “I’ll see you guys after practice!” she said as she rushed out the door. Suddenly, a huge cloud dropped a substantial rainpour, soaking everything. A deep booming voice shook her to her core. _

 

_ “Get up, Rey!” _

 

_                  ———————————- _

 

Cold water woke Rey up in shivers. She blinked the water streaming down her face and realized she was in the shower, laying in the tub. Ben was looming over her, his expression blank.

 

“Where’s my mama?” she moaned. The medicine had not worn off yet and she felt weak. The last thing she remembered was her mom screaming and the gun went off. Panic rushed through her with nowhere to go. 

 

“Shhh. We’re going to go see her once you’ve woken up a little, sweetheart. Your mama made a mess of the plan.”

 

“What did you do to her!” she shouted, trying to get up. Her legs felt wobbly. Ben rolled his eyes and shut the water off. Strong arms lifted her out tub and stood her up. 

 

He pulled out a large, fluffy towel around her and led her through the bathroom. 

 

“Come with me, and you’ll see,” he replied calmly.

 

Rey shivered from the air hitting her cold and wet body and she hugged the towel closer to herself for comfort. She wasn’t ready for this. She didn’t want to know if he killed her mother. She whipped around and turned to his chest. 

 

“Please, please just tell me if you killed her. I can’t—I can’t see my mama like that, please Ben,” she sobbed. 

 

“Stop crying. Let’s go.”

 

He pulled her up the stairs and to another guest room. Rey fought weakly with each step until they reached the door. She whimpered for him to ‘please stop’ when he opened the door slowly. Her eyes squeezed shut. 

 

Rey felt a forceful shove at her back and fell forward, opening her eyes and using her hands to catch the fall. She looked up to see her mother, tied to a chair, unconscious. Blood seeped out of her nose and it looked broken. 

 

“Is—is she—“

 

“She’s not dead, Rey. What kind of monster do you take me for?” he said. Rey refused to answer the question as he flicked the light on and began to circle them. Rey crawled over to the chair and sat with her mom as he paced. 

 

“What about the gun? I heard a loud shot? Did you shoot her?”

 

“Oh no, that was Daisy coming in here with your father’s 1911, thinking she was some kind of one woman army. She left a pretty nasty hole in the TV before I knocked her out. Your mother made a huge mess of things, Rey.”

 

“Please. Please don’t hurt her,” she begged between quiet sobs. Ben’s pacing picked up and pulled a knife of his pocket and began flipping it back and forth. Rey scooted closer to her mom.

 

“She’s ruining the plan, Rey,” he warned, his voice sounding unhinged. Oh God, he really was going to kill her mother. Or her. Or both. 

 

“Ben… please calm down. I’m sure we can figure this out. I can tell her I, um, ran with you and this is all a big mistake, right?”

 

He glanced at her quickly and stopped playing with the knife for a brief moment. Only to continue moments later.

 

“That’s not going to work.”

 

Rey pulled herself up slowly, taking a moment to keep from getting dizzy.

 

“Yes! It can! I just have to tell her that this is all my—“

 

“I SAID IT WON’T WORK!” he screamed in her face. Ben grabbed Rey roughly by the shoulders and threw her against the wall. 

 

“I’ll get rid of her and then you and I are leaving. Tonight,” he said matter-of-factly, as if he was talking about the weather instead of murder. Rey clawed at his face and screamed, anything to stop him from turning his attention to her mom. 

 

“Stop! Ben please! If you do this, I will never forgive you for this. Please don’t take her away from me. I’ll do anything!” she shrieked. Ben gripped her wrists and squeezed, grinding the bones together. Rey seethed and stomped relentlessly on his feet. Her knee connected with his groin and he groaned, his hands shooting to between his legs. 

 

Rey used this as an opportunity to rush to her mother. Her hands were tied with zip ties. She looked around the floor for Ben’s knife and snatched it while he held himself. He saw what she was doing and tried to get to the weapon before her, but he failed. Rey clutched the knife and began sawing the ties on her mom’s wrists. 

 

Suddenly she was yanked back by her hair and thrown against the dresser, the knife ripped from her hands as Ben stabbed the knife right beside her head on the wall. He leaned in so close, Rey thought he was going to kiss her in his delirium. 

 

“Now do you see why this plan of yours would never work, Rey? Hmm? You’d just save mommy and off you run to Detective Kanata. I’m not an idiot! She has to die.”

 

“Please Ben, stop this, all of this. It’s over. Let me go, please. This was never going to end the way you thought it was going to,” Rey hissed before spitting in his face. Ben smirked and wiped his cheek. He jerked the knife off of the wall and held it to her throat. Rey’s eyes widened as she felt the cold steel on her neck. 

 

“You’re right, Rey. This is never going to go our way is it?” he said quietly. The tone made Rey nervous as she carefully fought his grip, as not to disturb the knife at her throat. 

 

“I guess, this is how it should end. I’ll kill you and your mother and make it look like you were obsessed with me and I had to kill you both in defense. Then, I can just go to another town and find another girl. Another  _ Rey _ ,” he said sadly. Rey shook her head frantically. 

 

“N-No. You don’t have to kill anyone, Ben. Please.”

 

“But there never will be another  _ you _ . You were the girl I have waited all this time for. Those other girls never measured up, no matter how hard I tried to perfect them. And now, I’ll never have you.” He trailed off, his voice shaky. Almost as if he were on the verge of tears. The knife fell from her throat and he began pacing.

 

He ran his hands through his hair and shuddered. Rey glanced at his face quickly and saw tears streaming down his face. Her bottom lip trembled and she shrank down the wall. Rey didn’t know what to do. She wasn’t prepared for this. She didn’t know how she was going to get her mother out safely. 

 

“Ben, please, we can figure this out. I’ll—I’ll come with you. Just please don’t kill my mama,” she sobbed. Ben stopped pacing and walked over to her. He pulled her up and held her to his chest. 

 

“Do you love me, Rey?” he murmured into her hair. Rey sniffled and looked up. This next response from her would seal the fate of her and her mother’s life. She wiped her nose to buy more thinking time and slowly nodded. 

 

“I think I could,” she said honestly. He growled and pushed her off and continued pacing.

 

“I mean that! I could. I just… need time. Okay? You’ve put me through a lot,” she whispered. 

 

Ben looked down at his knife and flipped it once before turning to her with a smirk. 

 

“Sorry, dove. Time is just not something I can give.”

 

Rey screamed as he lunged at her with the knife. She rushed to the door and flung it open before dashing down the stairs. She saw her father’s gun lying on the floor by the couch and made a beeline towards it before she was tackled to the ground. 

 

Ben laid on top of her and turned her around so her back dug into the hardwood floor. She grimaced and gripped his wrists with both hands. He had lost the knife, but his hands were aiming for her throat, nonetheless. 

 

She flailed and pushed at his wrists with all of her might, but they just got closer and closer. This was it. Rey was going to die by Ben’s hands and then he would go upstairs and kill her sweet mother. She cried out as his grip made contact and he squeezed. She choked and black spots filled her vision as Rey resigned herself to the fact that the last thing she would see is Ben Solo, staring maniacally down at her as he killed her. 

 

Suddenly a loud crash barreled behind them but Ben didn’t look up. Rey’s consciousness waved in and out when she heard the second gunshot of the night ring out. The grip on her throat loosened and she gasped for air as she felt Ben being ripped off of her. His growls rang out through the air and Rey’s ears rung. She heard a loud thud and grunt.

 

“Hey kid, you alright?”

 

She looked up to see Detective Kanata and a very hairy officer peering down at her.

 

“My mama. Upstairs,” she rasped. Maz nodded and pointed to the man. 

 

“Chewie, call medic and keep that man down until backup gets here. I’ll go check on Daisy. You’re alright, Rey. Everything is going to be fine,” the older woman promised before dashing up the stairs.

 

Rey looked over to see an unconscious Ben lying next to her and she sighed before smiling to herself. This was all over. She was safe again. Her mom was safe and they could finally go home.

  
  
  



	20. The Hunter doesn’t Stop

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of escaping, Rey has to face her captor one last time to see that he's still not giving up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to Malevolent Reverie for everything. She has really helped me blossom in writing and has encouraged all of my ideas and thoughts to paper. You are truly an amazing friend and I am so happy to have you in my life!!!
> 
> And thank you to everyone who stuck around with this madness! The best part is - its not over! The sequel will be coming sometime in April or May so yay!!!

“You ready honey?” 

 

Rey stared at herself in the hall mirror in her family home. Everything seemed back to normal in just three days from the outside, inside the Niima home, it was anything but.

 

The angry bruise swept across her neck as a grim reminder that her neighbor almost succeeded in killing her in his obsession with her. 

 

Her mother was constantly skittish and jumpy and her father barely knew how to look at both of them anymore. Rey couldn’t even cry at how broken her family felt and she wondered if they’d ever be the same again. She couldn’t help feeling like it was her fault. Her parents couldn’t stop thinking that it was theirs. 

 

She pulled the turtleneck back up and covered the bruise as she faked a smile. Rose and her mother were lingering in the hall, afraid of making a move that would cause Rey to shatter. 

 

“Do we have to do this? I mean Detective Kanata was the one that found me. She knows it’s him.” Rey whispered. They were headed towards the police station to formerly ID Ben Solo for the kidnapping of both her and her mother.

 

The Detective scoured the house and found the evidence, along with with Rey’s phone and confirmed from the pictures on her phone the monstrosities that Ben had unleashed upon the girls in town. And Rey. 

 

“She just has to do this for a formality honey. She understands how hard this is. After this, Ben will be locked away for a very long time for his crimes.” Her mother replied softly. Rose smiled weakly and took her friend's arm as they walked out to her mother’s car. 

 

The car ride was completely silent, each woman in their own thoughts. Her mother was trying to figure out their next move as she wanted nothing to do with this town any longer after they failed her daughter. Rose was relieved that her best friend was alive, but was unsure of how to handle the situation. Rey’s stomach was in knots as she was about to see her once loved neighbor that raped her and tried to kill her. 

 

They pulled into the police station and the receptionist immediately let them through. Rey stared at the floor to avoid the sympathetic stares. It was bad enough that she would forever be known as the “Lake Lure Serial Killer Survivor.” She’d already been called by every major news group and offered several book deals to tell her ‘story’. She turned them all down. 

 

“Hello, ladies, how are we today? Are you feeling any better Rey? I know this day is not easy.” Maz pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up as they were being led to a room with a two-way mirror. 

 

Bile crept up her throat as she realized on the other side was a very battered Ben Solo. His hair was shaggy and unkempt and his face was covered in bruises. The cast on his arm where he had been shot by the brawny detective known as Chewie, gave Rey little relief. He looked up at the mirror as if he knew she was there. Her heart fluttered in her chest. 

 

“Alright, let's make this quick.” 

 

Rey nodded and stepped forward in between two officers. 

 

“Rey Niima. Is this man that kidnapped, raped, and attempted to murder you through strangulation? Please confirm with yes or no.” 

 

Rey swallowed tightly and Rose placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort. With contempt, Rey’s features scrunched as she nodded with tears in her eyes. 

 

“Yes. That’s him.” 

 

“Thank you. We won’t ask you to provide your report again, as I already got it the night we found you.” 

 

“Thanks.”

 

The detective was about to reply when that chilling deep voice grabbed their attention. 

 

“Rey? Is she in there? I know she is. Rey, can you hear me?”

 

Rey shook her head and walked to the door where an officer blocked it. 

 

“Can we go please?” She whimpered. 

 

“REY!? Do you hear me? I love you and I will find you!” Ben slammed his hands on the metal table.

 

Rey clapped her hands over her ears and clenched her eyes shut. Rose pulled her friend into a hug.

 

“Please, can we leave? We’ve heard enough of this creep!” Rose shouted. The detective nodded quickly and led them out. Ben’s shouts of her name echoed through the halls.

 

“Daisy, a word?” 

 

Rey’s mother nodded and told the girls to wait in the front reception. Rose and Rey dashed to the front. 

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“Yeah. I think so. I just...his voice haunts me now, you know?”

 

“It’s all going to be fine, Rey, I know it! We are going to graduate this spring and go off to college and become amazing people! That man in there? He’s gone, forever. He’s going to be locked away for a long time, Rey. He’ll never hurt you again! I promise.”

 

Rey hugged Rose tightly and tried her best to believe her. Everything would be fine as soon as they got out of this town. 

  
  


             ————————————

  
  


“What do you mean he’s not going to jail!”

 

“Hush, keep your tone down, Daisy. I’m technically not supposed to be telling you this.” 

 

“I-I just don’t understand, Maz. The man killed several girls and he-he  _ raped _ and kidnapped my daughter! The proof is all there. Lock that monster away!” Daisy hissed. Maz sighed deeply before continuing. 

 

“He has the best lawyer in town and a lot of money, Daisy. Also - when we raided his home after we found you, we found a multitude of anti-psychotics that were all expired and full. He wasn’t on his medicine.”

 

“You have to be fucking kidding me here. So what? He has money and is able to buy immunity?”

 

“Not immunity, but a mental insanity plea.”

 

Daisy stood dumbfounded. She could not believe what she was hearing. She looked back to see Rey laughing for the first time in a long time. 

 

“What about my daughter. What about her sanity? Can you promise me that man will never be let out? You heard him in there. He will stop at nothing for her!”

 

“Yes. He will stay in the mental facility with the severest amount of restrictions. Hell, they will probably sedate the man for the rest of his life. I’m sorry to upset you with this, Daisy. I understand how you feel, but it’s out of my hands. I just wanted you to know. Rey is a strong girl. She will move on from this and be fine. She is a survivor.

 

Daisy seethed for a moment and clutched her purse tighter. 

 

“She  _ will  _ move on. In fact, all of us are moving on the minute she graduates. I’m done with this town.” 

 

Maz smiled sadly and shrugged just as the door that held Ben inside opened. Dressed in an orange jumpsuit, he was led out with shackles into the hallway. He got a glimpse of Daisy and Maz and he winked. 

 

“I’ll see your daughter soon, Daisy. Tell Rey to be a good girl while I’m gone.”

 

                   —————————-

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and kudos are always welcome :)


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